Road clear, CM carries dents

8216;8216;But we will never do this,8217;8217; Chautala has been saying and now a wisened Sampat Singh, his deputy, swears by. During the current agitation, eight persons according to the farmers and five if you believe the government fell to police bullets. Trust either but the death toll is the highest ever in such agitations in the state.

The adamant Chautala government had to bow and enter into an agreement with BKU state chief Ghasi Ram Nain, who it termed a criminal and declared a proclaimed offender.

Chautala, who is away on a tour to woo foreign investment, has left Sampat Singh behind with the responsibility of striking a deal. But Singh found himself on a sticky wicket over the police firing. At a press meeting yesterday, he had to admit that the party had suffered a setback. However, he insisted that with some compromise reached yesterday, the INLD has recovered lost ground.

Chautala had to defer his foreign trip thrice. And after putting up a no-compromise stance, his government had to make concessions. Both the administrative and intelligence failure during the crisis is apparent. Even the law-and-order machinery collapsed. Police failed to discharge their primary responsibility and instead emerged as a mediator.

But it was Singh8217;s acceptability as a negotiator and his flexible approach that paved the way for lifting of roadblocks and resumption of traffic in many parts of the state.

Only peripheral players not even remotely connected with the agitation responded to Chautala8217;s call for talks. Let alone the Chief Minister, the BKU even refused to talk to his son and MP Ajay Singh Chautala. Nain gave a clear hint that the farmers will talk only to the committee led by Sampat Singh. Some of Chautala8217;s strongly-worded statements had added fuel to the fire.