BHIWANI: Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) national president Abhay Singh Chautala visited Bhiwani to offer condolences following the sudden death of party district president Ashok Dhani Mahu.During his interaction with the media, Chautala launched a broadside against the BJP government, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress MP Deepender Hooda, while also announcing the party’s September 27 rally in Nuh.Chautala said Ashok Dhani Mahu was not merely an INLD worker or office-bearer but a member of his extended family. He offered condolences to the bereaved family and paid tribute to the late party leader.Chautala said the INLD would hold a rally in Nuh on September 27 to mark the birth anniversary of Jan Nayak Chaudhary Devi Lal.He claimed that the rally would be a major political gathering and asserted that it would trigger renewed discussion about political change in Haryana.Chautala has previously appealed to party workers to participate in the September 27 Nuh rally.Taking aim at former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son, Congress MP Deepender Hooda, Chautala alleged that Deepender Hooda was acting as a “BJP agent” and claimed that the Hooda family had contributed to weakening the Congress in Haryana.The allegation is a political claim made by Chautala and has not been independently established. Chautala has previously accused both Bhupinder and Deepender Hooda of weakening the Congress and benefiting the BJP.Chautala also referred to the Rajya Sabha elections and questioned the role of MLAs, making allegations against Hooda in connection with the political developments surrounding the polls.In another sharp attack, Chautala alleged that Bhupinder Hooda had begun “elbowing out” political leaders who came in his way.Referring to several leaders and past political developments within the Congress, Chautala claimed that leaders such as Rao Inderjit Singh, Kumari Selja, Kuldeep Bishnoi and Ashok Tanwar had earlier faced political setbacks, and suggested that Deepender Hooda could be next.These remarks represent Chautala’s political assessment of the Congress and its internal dynamics.Chautala also took a swipe at Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini over his visits to Punjab.He said Saini had no one in Haryana inviting him and remarked that the chief minister was sitting idle and would go wherever he was invited.Chautala also levelled allegations against the BJP government over issues including crime, unemployment and corruption.Chautala also targeted the BJP over programmes organised around Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday and the campaign encouraging people to light lamps.He alleged that the BJP was using the distribution of five kilograms of foodgrains to mobilise people for such programmes and claimed that the same people would reject the BJP in the elections.This too was presented by Chautala as a political claim about the likely electoral response to the BJP’s outreach programmes.The INLD chief also raised the issue of agricultural procurement in Haryana. He claimed that despite the BJP’s claims regarding farmers and minimum support price (MSP), bajra and paddy were being sold in mandis at prices below the MSP.He further alleged that several gangs had established influence in Haryana with the alleged protection of the government. He also raised a religious-site-related issue in Gurugram and levelled allegations against the state government.No response from the government or the other parties named in these allegations was available in the material on which these remarks were based.Chautala’s Bhiwani visit was primarily centred on paying condolences to the family of his party’s deceased district president. However, his remarks also reflected the INLD’s broader political messaging ahead of its September 27 Nuh rally.While targeting the BJP government, Chautala simultaneously trained his guns on the Congress leadership and, in particular, the Hooda family.
