Not in CM race, let Chautala decide once INLD wins polls: Abhay to Ajay

Sushil Manav & Sanjay Bumbroo
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh/Panchkula, November 14

Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala on Wednesday said he was not in the race for the CM's post and asked his brother Ajay Singh Chautala to reconsider his decision of splitting the party.

Abhay Singh, who had so far been maintaining a silence on the issue ever since his elder brother Ajay Singh launched a tirade against him after coming out of Tihar jail on November 5, replied to allegations against him and also hit out at his Ajay and his sons, at a press conference.

"For the past few days, my elder brother whom I always respected, always provided him political strength by keeping myself behind, has been likening me with evil characters 'Duryodhan' and 'Jai Chand'. I met him in Delhi on Sunday and sought his explanation for this, but he had no answer. He (Ajay) just told the media that Abhay is his younger brother so he can say anything. But yesterday, his intentions have been clearly exposed when in Ajay's presence his supporter KC Bangar asked workers to choose between Abhay Singh and Dushyant as chief ministerial candidates as neither (Om Prakash) Chautala nor Ajay Singh can contest a poll till 2029 due to their conviction in JBT recruitment case."

Abhay Singh clarified that he never said he wanted to become CM and announced that even today that he was not in the race.

He said his only aim was to bring the INLD to power and once that happened, the party supremo can take a call on the question of CM. "Not only from the family, but the CM choice can also be from outside the family."

Hitting back at his brother and nephews by terming this row between "40-year-old and 4-year-old" party men, Abhay Singh said he entered politics just two years after Ajay Singh did, but he was much senior to Ajay who contested election from Rajasthan for 10 years.

"I always managed the affairs backstage by giving the honour of sitting on dais to my elder brother Ajay Singh, but whenever he was assigned duties to win a bypoll at Yamunanagar, Fatehabad, Rori and Ellenabad, he ensured victories for the party. It was only after conviction of Chautala and Ajay Singh that senior leaders of the party entrusted upon me the duty to enthuse workers so that they might not plunge into frustration that I started leading from the front. But CM's chair was never on my mind as I always thought some way would be found and Chautala will head the government when opportunity comes," Abhay maintained.

In obvious reference to his nephews, Dushyant and Digvijay, Abhay Singh said in fact they were the 4-year-old INLD workers and alleged that they were the ones who were out to ruin the party set up by Chaudhary Devi Lal. 

Abhay also lashed out at the Congress and the BJP for dividing the Indian National Lok Dal.

Addressing the party workers in Panchkula, Abhay Chautala said Ajay and his family were playing into the hands of the party's adversaries. He said earlier too when his grandfather Late Chaudhary Devi Lal had decided to unite the opposition in the country in 1987 and the Congress was thrown out of power, the latter in order to return to power had made attempts to divide the INLD.

Meanwhile, KC Bangar announced resignation from the post of national spokesperson of INLD in the presence of Ajay Singh Chautala in a workers meeting held in Yamunanagar.

On Bangar's resignation, Abhay said he had already been expelled from the party for indiscipline. 

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament Dushyant Chautala said party president was neither making his stand clear nor clarifying on the letter issued by him for expelling Ajay Chautala. He said he was sure that party supremo OP Chautala had not taken any such decision and the same was taken by some persons for their personal benefits. He said if such a decision was taken by the party supremo then it was a black day in the history of INLD.

He said they would hold the rally at Jind on November 17 where they would urge the party workers to help seek justice for Ajay Chautala.