M A I N   N E W S

Oust-Congress chorus at INLD rally
Kurukshetra show: Badal asks BJP, Chautalas to bury differences
Bhanu P Lohumi/TNS

Kurukshetra, November 1
The Samman Rally of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Chowdhary Devi Lal virtually turned into an “oust Congress” rally here today.

Leaders of different political parties, including the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, called for “uniting and strengthening anti-Congress forces”.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was the key speaker at the rally, asked the BJP and the INLD to resolve “minor differences” and come together. Badal attacked the Congress government for victimising the Opposition leaders and using the Central Bureau of Investigation to implicate them in false cases and said the previous Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh in Punjab made all efforts to politically finish his family by involving them in false cases but “political vendetta” did not help the party and the people of Punjab again made him the Chief Minister.

Badal said the huge turnout demonstrated people’s affection towards Devi Lal, anger against the government for putting the Chautalas in jail and their determination to oust the Congress.

“There is a strong sympathy wave in favour of Om Prakash Chautala in Haryana and people would wipe out the Congress from power as they did in the elections held after the Emergency,” said Badal.

INDL leader Abhay Chautala, holding the front in the absence of party supremo Om Prakash Chautala and Ajay Chautala, said the party would adhere to Badal’s wishes, indicating that political equations could change in Haryana where the BJP has an alliance with the Kuldeep Bishnoi-led HJC.

Abhay Chautala said corruption, atrocities on poor, women and Dalits were continuing unabated, land scams were rampant and deteriorating law and order had made the common man insecure.

Expressing his gratitude to the party workers, he said the party would not rest till the Congress was ousted and Chautala was back as state’s Chief Minister.

Abhay also read out a message from Om Prakash Chautala, thanking people for their support. BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi called for strengthening the anti-Congress.

He took a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar saying: “Strangely, some leaders who grew under anti-Congress culture have joined hands with the party.”

He said BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had give a call to “make the country free of the Congress and corruption” with slogan “Sabka saath, sabka vikas (support of all and development of all)”.

Congress’ Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjeet did not make any political announcement. “I have come to the rally because of family relations between my father Rao Barinder Singh and Devi Lal and nothing should be read in between the lines”.

But he praised the Chautala family and said Devi Lal’s fourth generation had joined the political mainstream to fulfil his cherished dreams.

Former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said the country was facing both internal and external threat to security.

While TDP MP Nageswara Rao said Hooda had sold Haryana to Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law, Maharashtra former MP and Republican Party of India president Ramdas Athawale said the Congress was not a poor man’s party but a party that made people poor.