After the resignation by the lone Union Minister of Akali Dal in the BJP-led NDA government Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the cabinet, pressure has been mounted on another BJP’s partner in Haryana Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) to resign on the farmers’ issue.
Taking it to Twitter, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “Dushyant ji, Following Harsimrat Kaur Badal you should have resigned at least from the Dy CM post. You are more attached to your chair than farmers.”
The last week’s incident of lathcharge in Kurukshetra on the agitating farmers has also caused issue for the JJP in Haryana.
Many farmers were badly injured and opposition had attacked the government for suppressing their voices.
“Certainly, I would like to say one thing that the incident which took place at Pipli is condemnable. There should be a probe against those persons who first stopped, but later gave permission,” Dushayant Chautala had said on the incident.
JJP has also opposed the farm bill and the party shares many similarities with the Punjab based Akali Dal at many fronts.
Both the parties have a strong rural base and they also share close family ties.
Interestingly, Akali Dal’s Sukhbir Singh Badal had called former deputy prime minister late Devi Lal, founder of INLD, as one of the greatest farm leaders. Devi Lal is also the great-grandfather of Haryana Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala.
Also, there is an internal rift going on the JJP as one of its MLA, Devender Babli has demanded a change in the party leadership claiming that there was dissatisfaction among most of the party’s 10 MLAs.
Prior to that, Babli’s fellow MLA Ram Kumar Gautam has also expressed dissatisfaction against the leadership of Dushyant Chautala.
On the lathicharge incident also, the JJP’s senior leaders contradicted as Dushyant Chautala said for a probe into the matter while Home Minister Anil Vij said, “There was no lathicharge by the police on farmers.”
Yesterday, Harsimrat Kaur Badal had resigned from the Union Cabinet to protest the farm bills.
Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had earlier on Thursday said in the Lok Sabha that Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Minister for Food Processing, will resign in protest as the government tabled two more farm-sector related bills in the lower house amid widespread protests by farmers in Punjab and Haryana.