india

Updated: Dec 09, 2018 22:10 IST

Moments after his nephew and Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala announced a new political outfit, INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Sunday dared him and sister-in-law Naina to resign as the party’s MP and MLA, respectively, to test their popularity.

Dushyant launched the Jannayak Janata Party and unveiled its flag at a well-attended rally in Haryana’s Jind district earlier on Sunday.

The announcement came a month after Dushyant, along with his father and brother Ajay Chautala and Digvijay Chautala, respectively, was expelled from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh after a party meeting, Abhay Chautala said the newly launched party will soon “start to disintegrate”.

He claimed that supporters of the Congress, the BJP and some opponents of the INLD were also present at the Jind rally.

The leader of opposition (LoP) in the Haryana assembly challenged Dushyant and his mother Naina, MLA from Dabwali, to resign.

“If they consider themselves very popular, they should resign. They will come to know their popularity. When they do so, by-polls will be held and people will show them the mirror,” Abhay Chautala said.

“Dushyant has been expelled from the party. He is not even a primary member of the INLD now. He should give in writing to the Lok Sabha speaker that he is not a member of Parliament representing INLD,” he added.

Abhay Chautala alleged that his brother’s camp had been working to launch a new party for over a decade now.

“They have made the formal announcement today. In 2007, they had formed Jannayak Sewa Dal and INSO (Indian National Students Organisation). They were exposed when INSO was recently dissolved by (O P) Chautala sahab. They said that he could not do so because it was a separate entity,” he said.

He asked the Ajay Chautala camp to clarify who it will support in the December 16 mayoral elections.

“Let them make their stand clear. Or will they opt for NOTA?” he asked.

The INLD split following a power struggle between Ajay Chautala and his younger brother Abhay Chautala.

In the feud, INLD founder Om Prakash Chautala threw his weight behind his younger son.

Ajay Chautala is undergoing a 10-year jail term with his father since 2013 in a teachers’ recruitment scam.

His sons Dushyant and Digvijay were shunted out after their slogan-shouting supporters allegedly targeted Abhay Chautala at an INLD rally in Gohana in October.

At the INLD’s meeting in Chandigarh, the party passed a resolution to provide 50% reservation to Haryana youth in private sector jobs if it is voted to power in the state.

Abhay Chautala alleged that the ruling BJP had failed miserably in providing jobs to Haryana’s youth.

Assembly elections in Haryana will be held in 2019.