Understanding between BJP, Congress to weaken regional parties: Dushyant Chautala

Pradeep Sharma

Chandigarh, June 27

Former Deputy CM and senior JJP leader Dushyant Chautala today alleged that there was a “tacit understanding” between the BJP and the Congress with a view to weakening regional parties.

Taking exception to Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s reported statement that the Congress did not have numbers for fielding a candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana, Chautala claimed that this showed both national parties were on the same page when it came to their vested interests.

Daring Hooda to come up with a “common candidate” of the Opposition, such as an eminent sportsperson, an artiste or a social worker for the Rajya Sabha seat, he said the electoral field should not be left “uncontested” for the BJP. ”The JJP will support such a candidate,” he said.

A case in point of national parties’ attempts to weaken the regional parties was the fact that there was no contest for the post of the Lok Sabha Speaker yesterday despite the Congress fielding a candidate for the post.

Reiterating that the JJP would not enter into an alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Assembly poll, the JJP leader asserted that the JJP had to pay a heavy price in the recent parliamentary elections for running an alliance government with the BJP. “The anti-incumbency and farmers’ anger against the BJP cost us dear and there is no logic of another alliance with the BJP,” he said.

On the question of alliance with non-BJP parties, Chautala stated it depended on the ground situation. “From July 5, the party will have extensive consultations at the district level across the state and any decision on alliance with other parties would only be decided after consultations,” he said.

No pact with BJP

There will be no alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Assembly poll as the JJP had to pay a heavy price in the recent parliamentary elections for an alliance with the BJP. Anti-incumbency and farmers’ anger against the BJP cost us dear. There is no logic of another alliance with the BJP. — Dushyant Chautala, ex-deputy CM