Chautala positions INLD as the only credible opposition to the BJP in Haryana, targets JJP and Hooda

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) national president Abhay Singh Chautala on Sunday blamed former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the BJP’s return to power in Haryana in the 2024 Assembly election and trained his guns at the Janayak Janta Party, terming it “B” team of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, positioning his party as the only credible opposition to the ruling saffron party in the State.

Addressing the party’s “Samman Diwas” rally in Nuh to mark the 113th birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, Mr. Chautala said the INLD would work to “remove the BJP from power and keep the Congress away from power” in the State.

The choice of Nuh as the venue is politically significant for the INLD, which is attempting to reconnect with a region where it once had an organisational and electoral base. The Congress won all three Assembly seats in Nuh district in the 2024 election.

Mr. Chautala alleged that the Congress had helped the BJP retain power in 2024 by renominating 30 sitting MLAs despite an internal survey indicating that the party was heading towards forming the government. He claimed that 18 of these MLAs subsequently lost, while rebel candidates were fielded against several other Congress candidates who, he alleged, were in a winning position.

“Hooda formed this government,” Mr. Chautala told the gathering, seeking to link the Congress leadership with the BJP’s electoral victory. He also blamed the JJP for helping BJP form the government in 2019. 

Mr. Chautala also revived his allegations surrounding the Rajya Sabha elections, claiming that two Congress MLAs had voted in favour of the BJP while the votes of four others were cancelled. He questioned why the Congress had not publicly named the four MLAs whose votes were rejected, alleging that they were close confidant of Mr. Hooda.

The allegations form part of Mr. Chautala’s continuing attack on the Hooda leadership.

Seeking to give the rally a regional development pitch, Mr. Chautala invoked the legacy of Chaudhary Devi Lal and his association with Nuh. He said that if the INLD returned to power, it would improve healthcare facilities in the region, establish colleges, universities and schools, and develop Nuh “on the lines of Gurugram”. Mr. Chautala said the party would seek to transform Nuh into a major urban centre and ensure better educational opportunities for children in the region.

In his wider political pitch, Mr. Chautala promised that an INLD government would make tackling drug abuse, unemployment and corruption its priorities. On farmers’ issues, he criticised the government’s reliance on portals and said an INLD government would do away with such systems.

INLD’s patron and former Minister Sampat Singh and Deputy Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir, Surinder Kumar Choudhary were also present.