india

Updated: Jul 22, 2019 00:00 IST

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA from Rania, Ram Chand Kamboj, resigned from the party on Saturday, saying he was “very unhappy and upset” ever since infighting erupted within the party.

Confirming the development, Birbal Dass Dhalia, INLD president, said he received Kamboj’s resignation letter on July 15.

The party had split last year due to a feud in former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala’s family. Chautala’s grandson and the former Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala formed the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) after the family feud came out in the open.

Kamboj, a first-time MLA clarified that he had not resigned from his post in the Haryana assembly. “I have only resigned from the INLD party. However, if I have to resign from Haryana assembly, I will not hesitate,” he said, ruling out the possibility of joining INLD’s off-shoot, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

His resignation has come three months ahead of the state assembly polls, scheduled to be held in October.

While resigning from the primary membership and active posts of the party, Kamboj said he and his family had been associated with the INLD for the past 30 years as they were influenced by the policies of former deputy prime minister Chaudhary Devi Lal. However, he said the infighting was damaging the party.

“I am very unhappy and upset due to infighting in the party which started a few months back. Chaudhary Devi Lal was a symbol of sacrifice…but in this same family, fight has erupted over the post of chief minister, causing considerable damage to the party,” Kamboj said.

Kamboj blamed Dushyant for the feud in the Chautala family and for the vertical split in the INLD.

“It was Dushyant Chautala, who was responsible for the infighting in the Chautala family. I will never join his outfit,” he said, pointing out that he will decide his future course of action after discussing it with the workers of his assembly segment.

With his resignation, the party’s tally in the Haryana Assembly has reduced to six from 19 in 2014 when the last assembly elections were held.

Kamboj had defeated Congress leader and INLD patriarch OP Chautala’s younger brother Ranjit Singh, former minister Jagdish Nehra of the BJP and Gobind Kanda of the Haryana Lokhit Party.

The INLD also received a drubbing in the April-May Lok Sabha elections, losing on all 10 seats it contested in the state.