Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Governor and Dy CM Dushyant Chautala after taking oath at Haryana Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh on Sunday (Express photo by Jaipal Singh)
Haryana CM Swearing-in Ceremony: Hitting out at the JJP for its post-poll support to the BJP, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda called it an “alliance of convenience”.
On Sunday, BJP’s Manohar Lal Khattar was sworn-in as the chief minister of Haryana for the second consecutive term at the Haryana Raj Bhavan Sunday after the party stitched a post-poll alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to form government in the state. JJP leader Dushyant Chautala took oath as the deputy chief minister. Khattar was elected from Karnal, while Dushyant won from Uchana Kalan assembly segments.
Hooda said: “I wish this alliance works, but we shall see how they carry on because of the contradictions that they have. For JJP, all I cay say is Vote kisiko our support kisiko. (Vote someone else, support someone else). What JJP has done is against the mandate of Haryana. It is just an alliance of a convenience”.
JJP leader Dushyant Chautala’s father Ajay Chautala, who stepped out of the Tihar jail on Saturday on a furlough, also attended the event.
In the Haryana elections, the ruling BJP fell short of a majority by winning a total of 40 seats of the 90-member House, the Congress and JJP came second and third with 31 and 10 seats, respectively.
The results of the Haryana Assembly elections possibly settled the debate on the legacy of former deputy prime minister and Jat stalwart Devi Lal in the favour of his great grandson Dushyant Chautala.
His father Ajay Chautala, who walked out of Tihar prison in Delhi for two weeks on a furlough, said he feels proud that "Today, I am known in the public as Dushyant's father". A former MP, he said it was hard to believe that in just ten months Dushyant has built the party and some of its candidates made even stalwarts bite the dust.
Dushyant trounced BJP sitting MLA Prem Lata, wife of former Union minister Birender Singh, from Uchana Kalan, while his Jannayak Janata Party's Ram Kumar Gautam defeated senior minister Abhimanyu from Narnaund constituency. (PTI)
Ajay Chautala, father of Haryana Depuy CM Dushyant Chautala: What can be a better occasion for a father, than this? Congress can say anything they want to but this govt will go on for 5 years and work for the development of Haryana. There could not have been a better Diwali than this
BJP working president J P Nadda, Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore, former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Union ministers Krishan Pal Gurjar, R L Kataria, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal were present on the occasion. Jannayak Janta Party leader Dushyant Chautala's father Ajay Chautala, who stepped out of the Tihar jail on Saturday on a furlough, also attended the event.
Dushyant Chautala's mother Naina Chautala, who has been re-elected MLA for the second time, was also present.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda, after the swearing-in ceremony, said "I wish this alliance works, but we shall see how they carry on because of the contradictions that they have. For JJP, all I cay say is Vote kisiko our support kisiko. What JJP has done is against mandate of Haryana. It is just an alliance of a convenience".
Talking about Congress' performance in Vidhan Sabha polls, Hooda said, "Had the party high command implemented the change in state unit's command earlier, the results would definitely have been different". Naina Chautala, Dushyant's mother and Badhra's legislator said, "The alliance will function and people will see it".
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will chair the first cabinet meeting of his new council of ministers at 5 PM Sunday. Khattar took oath as the chief minister for the second consecutive term at the Haryana Raj Bhavan Sunday after the party stitched a post-poll alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to form government in the state. JJP leader Dushyant Chautala took oath as the deputy chief minister.
JJP leader Dushyant Chautala took oath as the deputy chief minister of Haryana Sunday.
BJP's Manohar Lal Khattar took oath as the chief minister of Haryana for a second consecutive term.
BJP's Manohar Lal Khattar and JJP's Dushyant Chautala arrive on the stage at the Raj Bhavan to take oath as chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively. BJP national working president JP Nadda is also with them
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda reached Raj Bhavan to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new Haryana cabinet.
Former Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal also reached Raj Bhavan. Sukhbir reached the venue hugged Ajay Chautala. Parkash Singh Badal, said, "I would not like to say anything, at this stage. Let the ceremony happen, for which everybody is here".
JJP’s founder and Dushyant Chautala’s father Ajay Chautala, who is serving 10 years rigorous imprisonment on charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy and forgery in infamous JBT teachers recruitment scam, will be present at the Raj Bhavan today on the swearing-in of his son Dushyant Chautala as Deputy chief minister.
Ajay walked out of Tihar jail Sunday morning after being granted 14 days’ furlough. On his release, he said, “Dushyant asked me if he should go with BJP or Congress. I told him, whatever the circumstances, we shall never go with Congress. I gave him the go-ahead to go with BJP. It is a matter of pride for us that he has got into an alliance with BJP. It will be beneficial for the state.”
Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony of the council of ministers in the Haryana cabinet, JJP's Digvijay Chautala said: "Until yesterday they (Congress) were saying that it (BJP-JJP alliance) is against people's mandate. We have come after winning against them too. Congress could not gather the numbers. 'Majboor thi mazboot nahi'."
Six-time MLA Anil Vij, Banwari Lal, Seema Trikha from the BJP, while Ram Kumar Gautam and Ishwar Singh from the JJP are among the probables who are likely to get ministerial berths in the new Haryana government.
Among seven independents who are supporting the BJP-led coalition which will be sworn in on Diwali day here on Sunday, late Devi Lal's son Ranjit Singh Chautala is among the frontrunners for the ministerial post, party sources said. Vij, who was the health minister in the previous term, is the senior most leader of the party to have been elected for the sixth term from Ambala Cantt.
Names of other BJP MLAs doing rounds for ministerial berths are Mahaipal Dhanda, Ghanshyam Saraf, Kamal Gupta, Subhash Sudha and Deepak Mangla.