Journalism of Courage
An emotional appeal by Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal for unity in the Chautala clan is likely to remain just that and political reconciliation in the family that gave Haryana two chief ministers, including one, held the post four times.
Following bitter infighting in the family, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) led by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, witnessed a vertical split in 2018 with the family of his elder son Ajay Chautala forming a new political outfit Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). The INLD, or whatever remains of it, is being managed by Ajay’s younger brother Abhay, in absence of their father who is serving a jail term following his conviction in a teachers’ recruitment scam in the state.
The dedicated workers of the INLD, who have remained loyal to the Chautalas since the time when Om Prakash’s father Devi Lal founded the Lok Dal in 1996, were emotionally upset at the time of the split in the party. A majority of them still wish for political unity in the family and believe that only then the INLD could come up as a major challenger to the ruling BJP. However, senior leaders in both the INLD and the JJP admit that it will be very difficult for the two factions to join hands “after covering so much distance in politics.”
A senior INLD leader, requesting anonymity, said, “Unity has remained a distant dream in most of the prominent political families after a split”. Badal, the former Punjab chief minister, expressed his sentiments Wednesday while attending the Bhog Rasam (ritual) of OP Chautala’s wife Sneh Lata who died on August 11. Badal said a befitting tribute to the late Chaudhary Devi Lal would be the Chautala brothers – Ajay and Abhay – setting aside their differences and coming together.
“It is my request to you with folded hands… what is this (family feud)? A befitting tribute to Chaudhary Devi Lal and Mata ji (Sneh Lata) will be if the family once again gets united, even if someone has to make a sacrifice for this. The family’s honour and Devi Lal’s honour is supreme. It becomes the duty of family that they should be united,” Badal said.
The 92-year-old leader said that he could not stop himself from expressing his sentiments as “I have so many feelings for this family that if I find something is not right, it causes me great pain and I feel sad”.
However, even a day later, none of the family members running the two parties reacted openly to the appeal. “We would not like to speak on the political issue at this stage,” INLD’s Abhay told The Indian Express Thursday. Leaders in JJP too refused to comment.
The two parties have already announced to contest the Assembly polls, due in October, separately. “We are making preparations to contest all 90 constituencies,” said BD Dhalia, INLD state president.
The JJP has announced to contest all the seats in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party. JJP’s state unit chief Nishan Singh told The Indian Express that the allies will meet in Hisar on Friday to chalk out the details.
There is a feeling in JJP that they have succeeded in attracting a large number of voters and supporters in less than a year of its formation. They are also buoyed by the fact that the JJP candidate had secured more votes than the INLD’s in the Jind bypoll and in this year’s Lok Sabha elections. They feel that JJP-BSP alliance have a realistic chance of securing a sizeable number of seats.
On the other hand, the INLD has faced repeated setbacks with 10 of its MLAs joining the BJP in the past couple of months. The party that had won 19 seats in the 2014 Assembly polls is now left with just four MLAs, including Abhay who has remained hopeful of a better future for the party. “I am sure that the INLD would gain its lost ground like it (then Lok Dal) had in 1987 when it won 85 seats in 90-member Vidhan Sabha,” he had told The Indian Express recently.
