Days after he was expelled from the Indian National Lok Dal, Ajay Chautala announced on Saturday that he would launch his own political party at a public meeting in the district on December 9.
Addressing his supporters at a rally in Jind, Ajay called his younger brother Abhay “Duryodhan”—the chief antagonist in the Indian epic Mahabharat—but said: “INLD Billu ko Mubarak. Who mera azeez hai (Billu, younger brother Ajay, is welcome to INLD. He is very dear to me)”.
Ajay’s son Dushyant, who was also expelled from the party, said at the rally that he “didn’t want to go back to the party that threw them out”.
The development comes days after INLD patriarch expelled three family members from the party—first his grandsons Dushyant and Digvijay, and then his son Ajay—for “indiscipline”. Ajay’s wife, lawmaker Naina Chautala, dared the party to have her expelled as well and hinted at a new political party.
Even though the feud simmering within the party’s first family frequently made headlines before, it was when patriarch Chautala expelled both his grandsons on November 2 that the extent of the faultlines came into full public view. Om Prakash Chautala expelled his son Ajay from the party on Thursday.
Ajay Chautala hinted that his MP son Dushyant Chautala will be the leader of the new party and suggested that a large number of INLD workers remained with him.
“Many workers have resigned from the INLD. I will hand over their resignations to Om Prakash Chautala on November 20,” he said, indicating a meeting with the patriarch when he returns to Tihar Jail.
“I will tell Om Prakash Chautala that those who resigned from the INLD are true workers of the party and not those who want to break and destroy it,” he said.
He claimed that someday the senior Chautala would join him on his platform.
“Just four people sitting in Chandigarh use fraudulent means to take unilateral decisions and then get them ratified from Om Prakash Chautala,” he said, hitting out at the rival group over the expulsions.
Ajay Chautala reiterated that Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) was set up by him and nobody else had the right to dissolve it.
The INSO headed by his son Digvijay Chautala was “dissolved” by party president Om Prakash Chautala last month.
At Ajay Chautala’s show of strength three MLAs — his wife Naina Chautala, Rajdeep Phoghat and Anoop Dhanak — out of 18 of INLD legislators were present.
Abhay Chautala told reporters in Chandigarh that his brother had failed to demonstrate his strength.
“Claims were being made that most of the MLAs were with them,” he said.
“Only two MLAs were there, and 15 MLAs openly supported us. One MLA was neither with them nor with us,” the younger brother claimed.
He said the state executive comprising MLAs, district presidents and other office bearers has passed a resolution expressing faith in the leadership of Om Prakash Chautala at his Chandigarh meeting.
“Their attempts failed as 95 per cent of the state executive was present in Chandigarh. Out of the remaining five per cent, I think two per cent may have gone with them,” he said.
He predicted that members of the rival group will now try to find a party they can join. “Forming and running a party is not everybody’s cup of tea,” Abhay Chautala said.
On a possible compromise between the two brothers, he said the two young leaders should have apologised over the “hooliganism” at the rally.
“We were expecting Ajay Singh Chautala to convince his sons and ask them to seek an apology from their grandfather. But he also went along with them,” he said. — With PTI inputs
