It's a setback to INLD: Cadre

Hisar, May 21

After conviction in the JBT recruitment case in 2013 and split in the party in 2018, the INLD suffered yet another blow today as a Delhi court has convicted party supremo Om Prakash Chautala in a disproportionate assets case.

With just one MLA in the Assembly, Chautala was trying to resurrect the party after coming out of Tihar jail on July 2 last year. He had served a 10-year jail sentence in the JBT recruitment scam.

Despite the age factor, Chautala (87) showed guts in the Ellenabad bypoll when he embarked on an extensive campaign in October-November last year. His son Abhay Chautala won the bypoll and is the sole MLA of the party now.

Party workers said today’s conviction was a major setback for the INLD as the court’s decision had come amid efforts to revive the party. “The cadre is disciplined. The recent statewide tour of Chautala ji has energised party workers. He was trying to stitch a non-Congress and non-BJP alliance at the national level. Due to his efforts for a third front, he has become a target of the BJP,” alleged Ram Jat, a worker in Bhuthan Khurd village in Fatehabad’s Ratia segment.

He said party workers were in a wait-and-watch mode now. “It depends on the quantum of the sentence and whether it will be bailable or not. If Chautala ji gets bail, we hope that he will continue the mobilisation of the cadre,” Ram Jat said.