The passage of the farmers’ bills in LS raises political temperature in Haryana

NEW DELHI: The passage of the farmers’ bills in the Lok Sabha is raising the political temperature in Haryana too with key BJP-ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) pushed to a corner and the Congress daring Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala to resign, like Harsimrat Kaur Badal did, and withdraw support from the Manohar Lal government.

“If the JJP cared for the interests of farmers, it would have exited from the state government. They care more for the chair rather than for farmers,” former Haryana CM and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said after meeting the Governor on Friday, demanding a special assembly session to discuss the new laws.

“We need to know the stand of each party,” Hooda said, in an attempt to corner the JJP. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in Delhi said Dushyant Chautala should not stick to power but quit from his post.

Ten MLAs of JJP support the 40-MLA strong BJP in the 90-member Haryana assembly. While Dushyant Chautala has so far said that “we should trust the prime minister’s word on the new laws and the issue of MSP is sacrosanct”, there is unease now in the regional party which derives its political legacy from the pro-farmer image of Choudhary Devi Lal.

“The MLAs of our party will be meeting soon to arrive at a stand as there is anger among the farmers who are not satisfied with these bills,” JJP MLA Devendra Singh Babli told ET.

Making things more uncomfortable for the JJP is Haryana home minister Anil Vij rejecting JJP’s demand for an inquiry into a lathi-charge on protesting farmers in Kurukshetra last week. “There was never a lathi-charge. So, an inquiry for what?” Vij said on Friday.

Dushyant Chautala’s younger brother and leader of JJP’s youth wing, Digvijay Chautala had visited the injured farmers, sought an apology from them and announced aid. “Each lathi struck on farmers was a lathi struck on the family of Devi Lal,” he said.

On Friday, Dushyant Chautala met CM Manohar Lal where the farmers’ bills were discussed. A senior state BJP leader told ET that while JJP is unlikely to withdraw support, the BJP government would still be in a majority without the JJP and there was no danger to the government.

“There are seven independents in the assembly –– one is already a minister in the state government while four others have been given positions in various boards and corporations. So, effectively, BJP is already at 45 which is the half-way mark. The two other independents also support us,” the BJP leader said.