Abhay Chautala Calls Bhupinder Hooda 'BJP Agent', Exudes Confidence In INLD-BSP's Win In Haryana Polls | Exclusive

After the INLD split, Abhay Singh Chautala did not let the party disintegrate, be it the matter of resigning from the membership of the Legislative Assembly in protest against the three agricultural laws or raising the voice for the rights of farmers, youth, and the poor from the Assembly to the road. He was seen standing with full strength on every front.

Abhay Singh Chautala, who is handling the responsibility of Principal General Secretary in INLD, faced many such occasions when proposals came from his elder brother Ajay Singh Chautala for the merger of INLD and JJP, but neither Abhay Singh Chautala agreed to this nor Om Prakash Chautala ever gave permission.

INLD and BSP are now fighting the election together. From this alliance, Abhay Singh Chautala is the face of the Chief Minister in the state.

From issues to efforts to reach to power in the Haryana assembly elections, Dainik Jagran's state bureau chief Anurag Agarwal had a detailed conversation with Abhay Singh Chautala, who has been the leader of the opposition in the Haryana assembly.

Here are the main excerpts.

1. Indian National Lok Dal, the party that has ruled the state five times, has been away from power for the last 20 years. How do you see such a long distance from power?

The blood of Tau Devi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala runs in my veins. There are very few people like Tau Devi Lal in politics who even refused the post of Prime Minister. Tau Devi Lal worked all his life for the welfare of farmers, laborers, and the working class.

Om Prakash Chautala took forward his unfinished work. Now I am on the path of both of them. Therefore, struggle is not a new thing for me. There is struggle in every drop of my blood. We do not care about the chair in front of the interests of the public. You must have seen that from the road to the assembly, I raised the issues of people of every class. The governments of both the Congress and BJP parties tried to suppress me, but I was neither suppressed, nor scared, nor ever bowed down.

2. You resigned from the membership of the Legislative Assembly in protest against the three agricultural laws. A by-election was held on the Ellenabad assembly seat. You won again, so what was the benefit of resigning?

I did not resign for any political gain. I actually fought for the rights of the farmers. Both the major parties, Congress and BJP, which do politics in the name of farmers, had joined hands to defeat me in the by-election. Still, they could not defeat me in the election.

I was the only MLA in the whole country who took the initiative to resign. If the MLAs of Congress and BJP were so well-wishers of the farmers, then why did they not take such an initiative? On the contrary, they turned against me. The result of the unity of the farmers and my resignation was that the central government had to withdraw all three agricultural laws. This is the result of the unity of the farmers and the power of the vote.

3. The alliance of the Indian National Lok Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party does not seem to be standing anywhere politically in the state today. Do the leaders of both Congress and BJP consider their own parties as competition?

This is the misunderstanding of these parties. The alliance of INLD and BSP is not just an alliance of parties. It is an alliance of farmers, labourers, poor and the working class, which has been playing an important role in making any government and bringing down any government.

The biggest weakness of Congress and BJP is that the leaders of these parties can be seen standing in their Delhi court with folded hands to ask for things, but we do not need to ask from anyone. INLD has always run the government of the poor, needy, and common man in the state. Tau Devi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala ran the government of the people according to the people.

4. How do you see the last 10 years of Congress rule and 10 years of BJP rule? What kind of rule did both parties run?

Haryana is an agriculture-based state. Former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda ran a government of property dealings, i.e., CLU (Change of Land Use), during his 10-year tenure. On the same lines, the BJP government took decisions against farmers, deprived and the poor during its 10-year tenure.

Now is the time for change. People have understood. The INLD and BSP alliance in the state is moving towards forming a government based on the policies of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, along with Tau Devi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala.

5. Politics is going on in the whole country regarding Congress's senior leader from the deprived class, Kumari Selja. BSP President Mayawati has also expressed sympathy towards her.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has a history of not allowing any deprived leader to emerge in his party. First, he assaulted Ashok Tanwar, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, and forced him to leave the Congress. Now, Kumari Selja, a close aide of Sonia Gandhi, is being forced to leave the party. Hooda is not a Congressman but is working as an agent of the BJP in the state. Our full sympathy is with Salja.

6. Former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda is not ready to accept the presence of various regional parties, including INLD.

In his eyes, parties like INLD, JJP, HLP, and HJP are only in the role of vote-cutting parties. This is the misunderstanding of Bhupendra Singh Hooda. We are not a regional party, but an original party. Governments of national parties cannot take decisions. They are linked to the politics of Delhi and the decisions of the central government of Delhi. Even if they want, they are not able to develop the state according to the needs of the people.

Whenever there was a Lok Dal government in the state, the government went to the doorsteps of the people in the entire state, and their problems were solved. Therefore, no big party or leader should be under the misconception that regional parties have no existence. Governments of regional parties were there in various states earlier and are there now also.

7. Where do you see the INLD-BSP alliance standing in the battle for power between Congress and BJP?

First of all, let me tell you that no party is going to get an absolute majority in the state. A hung assembly will be formed in Haryana. The INLD-BSP alliance is going to win 20 to 25 seats. Then we will not go to any party to form the government; rather, other parties will have to come to us to join our government. There are many seats in the state where independents are in the fray.

That is why I can say with confidence that the INLD-BSP alliance is going to form the government in the state. On the birth anniversary of Tau Devi Lal, on September 25, there is a Samman Diwas function in Jind's Uchana, in which BSP President Mayawati and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala are coming. After this rally, the alliance will emerge as a big political force in the state.

8. A video of Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala is viral, in which he is claiming that INLD will not get even a single seat in the state.

You have rightly pointed out. You can watch the videos of various Congress leaders, including Surjewala, Jai Prakash, and Bhupendra Singh Hooda. These people have started selling jobs right now. No one talks about the interests of farmers and labourers. They are even abusing INLD in their programmes. They are using indecent and obscene language. The people of the state are ready to expose their truth.

9. Going far ahead of Congress and BJP, your alliance has promised to give a monthly pension of Rs. 7,500. 35 lakh people in the state take pension. How will such a budget be arranged?

I had said earlier also that we do not need Delhi to run the government. Understanding his responsibility towards social work, Tau Devi Lal had risen above politics and taken such decisions, which have become the need of today. Tau had started a pension of Rs. 100, which is equivalent to Rs. 10,000 today. He had waived off the loans of farmers. Our coalition government will work to carry forward the policies of Tau Devi Lal on the same lines, and lack of funds will not be a hindrance in this.

10. The Jannayak Janta Party was once a part of INLD. If needed, will there be any hesitation in taking the support of JJP?

We will not need it. And anyway, JJP is not going to get even a single seat. People are ready to ask them for answers. When the fight for the interests of farmers was being fought, these people of JJP were enjoying the rule sitting in the lap of the BJP. That is why people are waiting for them in the field. When will they come, and when will they ask for answers from them?