Chandigarh: Union Home Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah Sunday appealed to the people of Haryana to help his party win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state next year.
As he was speaking at a rally in Sirsa, the home turf of state deputy Chief Minister and ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala, Shah’s words were seen by many as a clear signal that the BJP will fight next year’s general elections alone in the state.
Addressing a rally organised by BJP’s Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal, Shah invoked Dushyant’s great-grandfather, Chaudhary Devi Lal to seek people’s support for the BJP. Paying rich tributes to Devi Lal, Shah said the BJP was realising the former deputy PM’s dreams and will continue doing so.
This is the second time that Shah has mentioned his party contesting from all 10 seats in the state in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier on 29 January, while addressing a BJP rally at Gohana phone, owing to inclement weather, Shah had said that the BJP will win all ten parliamentary seats in the state, sparking a debate on whether the allies will fight the 2024 polls together or go their separate ways.
Several BJP leaders, including state unit president O.P. Dhankar, former minister Captain Abhimanyu, and former Union minister Chaudhary Birender Singh have said on different occasions since that the alliance was formed for the purpose of providing a stable government only, and not for contesting the polls together.
Dushyant Chautala, however, has put up a brave front. In an interview with The Print earlier this month, he said the JJP was also gearing up to fight all the LS seats in the state, as was the BJP. He said that the issue of alliance will be dealt with before the election and his party will be willing to go to the polls in alliance with the BJP if it gives his party its due share in the seats.
ThePrint reached Chautala over the phone for a comment Sunday, but received no response. This report will be updated if a response is received.
However, Nishan Singh, JJP’s Haryana unit chief, said that the Sirsa rally was organised by the BJP and their leaders were free to say whatever they deemed fit. “As far as our party is concerned, we have already said that we are preparing for all 10 seats in Haryana. When the 2024 parliamentary elections draw closer, we will sit with the BJP leaders and hold discussions regarding the alliance. If things suit both the parties, the alliance will continue for the parliamentary and assembly polls,” Singh said.
Hits out at Congress
While Shah praised Devi Lal and didn’t say a word against anyone in the Chautala clan, he castigated the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Terming the erstwhile Congress government in Haryana led by Hooda as the 3-D Sarkaar – darbari (an allusion to the influence of Gandhi family), damaad (Sonia’s son-in-law) and dealers (alluding to cases of alleged shady land deals registered against the former CM).
“The 3-Ds are gone ever since Manohar Lal Khattar has taken over,” he added.
Shah hit out at Rahul Gandhi for ‘misleading’ people on Covid vaccine by terming it as Modi vaccine and then himself getting vaccinated “in the thick of night”. Shah also congratulated Haryana for producing sportspersons and said every third medal winner at the international level comes from Haryana.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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