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Chautala clan rift to escalate as Dushyant digs in heels
The INLD chief got Dushyant and his younger brother Digvijay, who heads INLD’s students’ wing, suspended from the primary membership of the party for disrupting the party’s rally in Gohana.
The ongoing feud in the Chautala clan for supremacy seems to be escalating with Dushyant Chautala, the elder son of the jailed INLD leader Ajay Chautala, now refusing to submit himself to the diktats of his grandfather and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala.
The INLD chief got Dushyant and his younger brother Digvijay, who heads INLD’s students’ wing, suspended from the primary membership of the party for disrupting the party’s rally in Gohana.
The rally was held on October 7 to mark the 105th birth anniversary celebrations of former deputy Prime Minister late Devi Lal.
There were allegations that INLD supporters were indulging in hooliganism at the behest of Dushyant during the rally, being addressed by Abhay and Om Prakash Chautala. Abhay is the younger son of Om Prakash Chautala.
The INLD chief had initiated disciplinary action against Dushyant and Digvijay and served them a show-cause notice on October 11.
However, instead of replying to allegations of anti-party activities and hooliganism, Dushyant in his reply questioned the manner in which such an action was initiated against him.
Dushyant said that he was extremely saddened and disappointed to receive the notice wherein he had been accused of anti-party activities.
In his first reply on October 14, Dushyant had sought recordings of the Gohana rally where he was accused to have indulged in “anti-party” activities. Seeking a fortnight’s time, he, however, has offered to himself acquire complete electronic recording of the rally to rebuke the charges in his reply.
The consistent hooting at the rally in Gohana, however, did not seem to be unplanned or without purpose.
The desire for more voice and space in the party has since long been simmering among the family members of Ajay, who is serving imprisonment in the JBT recruitment case since 2013.
Ajay’s elder son Dushyant is the party’s MP from Hisar and hopes to carry on his father’s political legacy. Ajay’s wife Naina Chautala is an MLA from Dabwali and Dushyant’s younger brother Digvijay is party’s students wing (Indian National Students’ Organisaton) leader.
The party supremo, Om Prakash Chautala, however, backed Abhay as it is he who has led the party so far and also because of the young age of Dushyant, who is only about 30. Abhay had been active in the past two polls.
The INLD which had 47 MLAs in 2000, had fallen to nine in 2005, while in 2010, led by Abhay, the party raised its MLAs’ number to 32, though in 2014 it could manage only 19 seats.
