Gurugram: Amid speculation of him joining the INDIA bloc, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala’s invitation to the Congress chief for a rally on 25 September at Kaithal has seemingly caused uneasiness among top state leaders of the main opposition party in Haryana.
Chautala, who will complete his seven-month Parivartan Padyatra at Kaithal on 25 September, the birth anniversary of INLD patriarch Chaudhary Devi Lal, met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday in Delhi and invited him to the rally at Kaithal.
Confirming this, Chautala told The Print that Kharge wished success to the Kaithal rally and told him that he would discuss the invitation at the party level. “We are inviting all INDIA leaders for the rally. Many of them have already given their nod to participate,” the INLD leader said.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NC chief Farooq Abdullah, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and other senior leaders like Satyapal Malik, Sukhbir Badal of SAD, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Hanuman Beniwal of RLP and K.C. Tyagi of JD(U) are among those who are participating, Chautala said.
Asked whether he is joining the INDIA bloc, Chautala said that Tyagi had already clarified in Chandigarh earlier this month that the opposition alliance never considered the INLD not being a part of them.
Even the idea of an alliance first came up during the September 25 rally last year held at Fatehabad where Sharad Panwar, Nitish Kumar, Sukhbir Badal, Tejashwi Yadav and Sitaram Yechury were present, he added.
But, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda told The Print that the INLD’s September 25 rally is a birthday event, and anyone could go to such an event. “In the past, BJP leaders have also attended Devi Lal’s birth anniversary rallies,” the senior Congress leader said, playing down the significance of the invite.
Asked whether the Congress would be fine if the INLD joins the INDIA bloc, Hooda said there was no question of Abhay Chautala’s party’s entry so far.
“There is an 11-member coordination committee of the Alliance. Any decision to include a new party is to be taken by that committee only. When no meeting of the coordination committee has been held so far to consider INLD’s inclusion, how can the party be a part of the alliance,” the former Haryan chief minister said.
On Friday, Congress state chief Udai Bhan was more forthcoming in his opposition to the INLD’s entry into the alliance.
“Abhay Chautala’s INLD is the B team of the BJP. They cast their votes for the BJP in elections for the President, Vice President, and for the election of Rajya Sabha members. How do they claim to be anti-BJP? They are in fact ‘sahyogi’ (associates) of the BJP. They want to join the alliance so that they can get a seat or two in the parliament by benefiting from a wave in favour of the Congress in the state,” he had told the media at Jagadhari.
“So far, they (INLD) are not part of the alliance. Some INDIA leaders do want the INLD’s inclusion, but if our party’s leadership seeks our feedback, we will definitely inform them about the ground reality in the state,” he added.
ThePrint reached out to the PCC chief for his opinion through calls but they went unanswered.
Also Read: Haryana Congress infighting erupts again, Hooda detractors approach Kharge
‘INLD fighting dual battle’
Satish Tyagi, a political analyst from Haryana, said that the reasons behind the INLD’s efforts to join the INDIA bandwagon were quite obvious. “From being the main opposition party in 2014, the party was reduced to just one seat in 2019 due to a split that resulted in the launching of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) by Abhay’s nephew Dushyant Chautala,” he said.
“The INLD will be fighting a dual battle in 2024 – to regain its own lost base and also to prove itself the true inheritor of Chaudhary Devi Lal’s legacy. Entry into INDIA can help it in its efforts.”
Regarding Hooda’s opposition to the INLD, Tyagi said that an alliance between two Jat leaders could have a negative effect for the Congress in Haryana.
“Jats in Haryana villages are sharply divided due to their local panchayat politics. If one faction supports Hooda, the other faction has to look for another Jat leader. Abhay Chautala’s Jat supporters don’t see eye to eye with those from Hooda camp. If the two leaders join hands, there is a possibility of many workers from both parties looking for other options,” he added.
If the Congress is to win elections in Haryana, he said, it cannot do so on the strength of Jat voters alone.
“The moment Hooda joins hands with Chautala, it would send across a message that the alliance in Haryana is of and for the Jats, and other caste voters may immediately drift away from the Congress,” he explained.
Hooda and the Congress have been out of power in Haryana since 2014, with the BJP getting a second chance from the voters in 2019. The BJP formed a government for the second consecutive time with the support of the JJP and seven Independent MLAs.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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