INLD leader Abhay Chautala calls on former Haryana Congress chief Tanwar
The two leaders spoke for over two hours, amid speculations that Tanwar is set to join the INLD.
In a major development, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala called on former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar at his residence in Sirsa on Friday.
Chautala reached Tanwar’s residence around 11 am and the two leaders spoke for over two hours, amid speculations that the latter is set to join the INLD.
Later, talking to Hindustan Times over the phone, Tanwar said that Abhay Chautala had made courtesy call to his house.
“We discussed the political landscape of Haryana wherein the ruling party has failed to address the public’s concerns and the opposition too is silent,” Tanwar said while adding that people are now looking at an alternative opposition to raise their concerns.
Tanwar had quit the Congress ahead of the 2019 state assembly polls after he was replaced by Kumari Selja as the state unit chief.
In his four-page resignation letter to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Tanwar had said that the grand-old party was going through an existential crisis-- not because of its political opponents but because of the ‘internal rift’. He was known to have had differences with senior Congress leader and two-time chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and had also even accused some senior party leaders of selling tickets after his loyalists were not nominated to contest the polls.
When asked if he would join the INLD, Tanwar said that he is not thinking of joining any party as of now but maintained that “anything is possible in politics.”
“Politics is all about the right timing. I can assure the public that I will remain in the opposition. My main focus will be on raising the issues of farmers, labourers, students and employees,” he added.
INLD’s lone MLA from Ellenabad, Abhay Singh Chautala said that Bhupinder Singh Hooda is supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party government as they had cleared the way for his son Deepender Singh Hooda’s entry into the Rajya Sabha by not putting up any contestant against him.
“I met Ashok Tanwar today and our meeting was fruitful. Many leaders of other parties are in touch with me and they will join the INLD in the coming days. Our party is the main opposition party on the ground and we are committed to raise public issues,” Abhay added.