INLD to invite Sonia, Kharge to Sept 25 rally; Abhay cites Devi Lal’s ties, says need of hour

The INLD’s annual rally comes ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha and Haryana Assembly elections. It is for the first time that the party has invited any senior Congress leader to share the stage, marking a tectonic shift in Haryana’s political dynamics.

“I will be personally inviting Indian National Congress president. Rest, it is up to them. Even if they send somebody from their party, we will welcome them. If they depute (Haryana former chief minister) Bhupinder Singh Hooda, we will welcome him as well,” Abhay Chautala, accompanied by senior JD-U leader KC Tyagi, told reporters.

“September 25 is the day to remember Chaudhary Devi Lal. It has got nothing to do with politics of INDIA bloc. But, this is also a coincidence that 99.99 per cent members of the bloc had either been with Chaudhary Devi Lal or had been his supporters. We do not consider INLD separate from us. But at the same time, it is my belief that an alternative against BJP cannot be created without Congress party. If a strong and large party like BJP has to be defeated, all the other political parties will have to join hands,” said Tyagi.

He added, “Abhay ji and Om Prakash Chautala ji will personally also invite Kharge ji and Sonia ji. Although Sonia ji is not keeping well these days, but we will be honoured if Kharge ji graces the occasion with his presence”.

Abhay, the lone INLD MLA in the 90-member Haryana Vidhan Sabha, said he will be in Delhi from September 18 till 22. “During that time, I will seek time from Kejriwal ji and invite him for the rally. I have also invited Sharad Pawar ji,” Abhay said.

The INLD senior leadership, be it party chief Om Prakash Chautala or Abhay, had always been extremely critical of the Congress, especially Hooda. This is primarily because the JBT teachers’ recruitment scam, in which Om Prakash Chautala and his elder son Ajay (now JJP’s national convener) were arrested on charges of corruption and served 10 years in jail, was registered on the complaint filed by Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala (Randeep Surjewala’s father, now deceased). INLD has always been blaming Hooda for Chautalas’ conviction.

Hooda, however, has always denied any role in Chautalas’ conviction.

On his family’s bitter equation with Congress and Hooda, Abhay said, “When Chaudhary Devi Lal started his political career, he did so with the Congress party. These things do not matter. When Congress party was weakening the country, we took BJP with us. Today, when BJP is ruining the country, we do not have any hesitation to go with Congress”.

Further speaking about sharing the stage with the Congress, Abhay said, “Om Prakash Chautala ji had earlier said that the mega-alliance should be without BJP and without Congress. But, when Nitish Kumar ji requested him, Chautala ji agreed and said that we are not hesitant to join hands with Congress. BJP needs to be ousted from power for which all of us should get united”.

Abhay, however, also took a dig at Hooda. “A few days ago, Chaudhary Bhupinder Singh Hooda gave a statement that they [Congress] are capable of winning all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. In the last Lok Sabha elections, they [Congress] contested all 10 seats. Hooda and his son Deepender also contested. Why did they not win then? What does that mean? Whom were they trying to help? He should have asked his party high command before issuing such a statement. Now, he will wash his hands off by saying that it was his personal opinion,” Abhay said.

Those who are likely to attend the Kaithal rally include Sukhbir Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal), Farooq Abdullah (National Conference), former governor Satyapal Malik, Nitish Kumar (JD-U), Tejasvi Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Aditya Thackeray (Shiva Sena-UBT), Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Derek O’Brien (Trinamool Congress), former union minister Birender Singh, and Jayant Chaudhary (Rashtriya Lok Dal).