Former Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda. (Photo/ANI)
Chautala alleged that Hooda and his son, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, were spreading lies and that as a result, there was a need to clarify certain issues regarding the “alliance”.
Jannayak Janata Party leader Digvijaya Chautala on Friday claimed that former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda blocked the formation of a ‘grand alliance’ for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and assembly elections in the state later that year.
Chautala, general secretary of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), and Nishan Singh, chief of the party’s state unit, were speaking at a press conference in Gurugram, where they launched the membership drive of the National Students Union of India.
Chautala alleged that Hooda and his son, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, were spreading lies and that as a result, there was a need to clarify certain issues regarding the “alliance”.
He said that after the 2019 assembly election results were declared, JJP MLAs offered an alliance on three main issues – 75 per cent reservation for local residents in jobs, 50 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions and old age pension.
Chautala said that his brother and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala agreed that the JJP would forge an alliance with any party on these issues.
He claimed that many Congress leaders also agreed with JJP’s Common Minimum Program but Hooda’s “negative approach” became an obstacle.
Chautala claimed that Congress leaders wanted the JJP to offer support before talking about issues and mobilizing the support of independents.
However, the then BJP chief Amit Shah agreed to JJP’s demands and reached an agreement on government formation, he said.
Chautala said that Hooda, the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, had recently claimed that there was never any talks about the alliance but his son said that they were ready to agree to all the conditions.
The JJP leader said the father-son duo should clarify their position instead of misleading the public.
He claimed that even during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there was talk of a grand alliance in which AAP would also be a part. Even the seat-sharing formula was agreed upon, in which seven went to the Congress, two to the JJP and one to the AAP. Chautala alleged that even then Hooda was an obstacle.
congress leader Rahul Gandhi Chautala claimed that he was also unhappy over failing to form an alliance.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had won all the 10 seats in Haryana.
Chautala alleged that Hooda was busy securing the political future of his son, a Rajya Sabha MP, and had even sacrificed senior leaders like Rao Inderjit, Kuldeep Bishnoi, Ashok Tanwar and Kumari Selja.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)