News Analysis India

Tag: Abhay Singh Chautala

  • Two More Arrested In INLD Leader Nafe Singh Rathee’s Killing; CBI Will Probe Case, Says Haryana Govt |

    CHANDIGARH: The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Nafe Singh Rathee’s murder case has taken a new turn as two more suspects have been apprehended by the authorities on Monday. Abhay Singh Chautala, the INLD Secretary General, has meanwhile demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), expressing scepticism about the government’s involvement.

    Chautala’s Allegations And Demand For CBI Probe

    Abhay Chautala asserted that the murder was a result of a premeditated conspiracy, referring to it as a “contract killing.” He labelled Nafe Singh Rathee’s murder as a ”political assassination”, pointing fingers at BJP office bearers. Chautala demanded a thorough investigation by the CBI, supervised by a sitting judge, expressing a lack of trust in the government’s handling of the case. 

    INLD Secretary General Abhay Singh Chautala said, “This entire matter should be investigated by the CBI under the monitoring by a sitting judge. We fully trust our Police. But we don’t trust the Government. So, we had demanded a CBI investigation. An Adjournment Motion was given in the Assembly today, regarding the same. This was discussed in the Assembly. The Members questioned the Government about the law & order in the state…I spoke with the SP just now, and he told me that two people have been arrested & all the other people against whom the FIR has been registered will be arrested at the earliest…I still say that this murder has been orchestrated. This is a political murder. The names mentioned by the members of the family are all BJP office bearers. Anil Vij also said that the people against whom FIR has been registered are all BJP people. This is a political matter…Arrest all those whose names have been mentioned in the FIR, question them, and publish everything. So that nobody dares to do this again.”

     

    #WATCH | Haryana INLD chief Nafe Singh Rathee shot dead | INLD Secretary General Abhay Singh Chautala says, “This entire matter should be investigated by the CBI under the monitoring by a sitting judge. We fully trust our Police. But we don’t trust the Government. So, we had… pic.twitter.com/cbarGt1bMj
    — ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2024

     

    Haryana Government Relents To CBI Inquiry

    In response to mounting pressure, Haryana’s Home Minister Anil Vij conceded to the demand for a CBI probe into Nafe Singh Rathee’s murder. Vij ensured that the culprits would face severe consequences, emphasizing the ongoing police investigation. In the State Assembly, the Haryana Home Minister said, “Haryana INLD chief Nafe Singh Rathee’s murder case will be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The accused of this murder case will not be spared and the strictest action will be taken. Police are investigating this matter.”

     

    In the State Assembly, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij says, “Haryana INLD chief Nafe Singh Rathee’s murder case will be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The accused of this murder case will not be spared and the strictest action will be taken. Police is… pic.twitter.com/QqvWl2XeKY
    — ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2024

     

    Family Says No Post-Mortem Until Arrests

    Nafe Singh Rathee’s family, demanding justice, refused to allow the post-mortem until all the accused are arrested. Jitendra Rathee, the deceased’s son, suspected the involvement of local BJP leaders in his father’s murder and criticized the lack of security despite repeated requests.

    Investigation And FIR

    The Haryana police have registered a case against four individuals in connection with the murder. Five teams, including two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), have been deployed to apprehend the accused. The investigation involves collecting physical and scientific evidence, examining CCTV footage, and scrutinizing a suspected vehicle.

    Abhay Chautala earlier placed the blame on the BJP-led government for Nafe Singh Rathee’s murder, questioning the motives behind not providing security despite acknowledging potential threats. He challenged the BJP government’s attempt to shift responsibility by mentioning the Lawrance Bishnoi gang, demanding transparency in the investigation.

    The incident has sparked political tensions, with the call for a CBI inquiry gaining momentum as the case unfolds.

  • Haryana bypolls: INLD’s Abhay Chautala wins Ellenabad Assembly seat by over 6,700 votes

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala defeated BJP’s Gobind Kanda with a margin of over 6,700 votes in Haryana’s Ellenabad Assembly bypolls on Tuesday.

    Congress candidate Pawan Beniwal finished third in the elections, the voting for which took place on October 30.

    The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate secured nearly 66,000 votes, officials said.

    The bypoll was necessitated after Chautala in January resigned as the MLA from the seat in protest against the Centre’s contentious farm laws.

    While there were 19 candidates in the fray, most of them Independents, the main contest eventually turned out to be between Chautala and Kanda.

    Gobind Kanda, the brother of Haryana Lokhit Party chief and MLA Gopal Kanda, joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last month.

    Gopal Kanda, the MLA from Sirsa, has extended support to the BJP-JJP government in Haryana.

    Beniwal, who had unsuccessfully contested the previous Assembly polls against Chautala, recently switched over from the BJP to the Congress.

  • Ellenabad bypoll: INLD leader Abhay Chautala’s lead thins over BJP’s Gobind Kanda

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: INLD secretary general Abhay Singh Chautala’s lead thinned over his nearest rival Gobind Kanda of the BJP in the Ellenabad assembly constituency in Haryana, according to latest trends for bypolls.

    Counting of votes for the October 30 bypoll to the seat is in progress.

    While Chautala maintained a consistent lead during the first seven rounds of counting, the margin dropped from 8,180 votes to 2,985 in the subsequent rounds.

    There are 16 rounds of counting of votes.

    The bypoll was necessitated after Chautala in January resigned as the MLA from the seat in protest against three central farm laws and to stand in solidarity with the farmers who are protesting against these legislations since the past one year.

    The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate is leading over Gobind Kanda by a margin of 2,985 votes, according to trends available at 1 pm.

    While BJP-JJP combine candidate Gobind Kanda is giving a fight to Chautala, opposition Congress’ candidate Pawan Beniwal is trailing at third spot.

    Out of the votes counted so far, Chautala has secured 40,633, Kanda 37,648 and Beniwal has got 14,951 votes.

    While there are 19 candidates in the fray, most of whom are Independents, the main contest is between Chautala, Beniwal and JJP-backed BJP candidate Gobind Kanda.

    Over 81 per cent of polling was recorded for the bypoll.

    Gobind Kanda, the brother of Haryana Lokhit Party chief and legislator Gopal Kanda, joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last month.

    Gopal Kanda, the MLA from Sirsa, has extended support to the BJP-JJP government.

    Beniwal, who had unsuccessfully contested the previous assembly polls against Chautala, recently switched over from the BJP to the Congress.

    Abhay Chautala, the younger son of INLD president and former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, had won the Rori assembly bypoll in Sirsa district in 2000.

    Ellenabad, a predominantly rural constituency, has been a traditional stronghold for the Chautala clan.

    Abhay Chautala won the 2010 bypoll from Ellenabad, when Om Prakash Chautala vacated the seat to retain the Uchana seat in Jind district — the other constituency from which he had contested the election in 2009 and won.

    Abhay Chautala retained the Ellenabad seat in 2014 too.

    He again won from Ellenabad in the 2019 assembly polls, when he was the lone INLD MLA to enter the House.

    The win in the bypoll was crucial for the INLD otherwise the party would have had no MLA to represent in the state assembly.

  • Ellenabad bypolls: INLD’s Abhay Chautala eyeing hat-trick

    By PTI

    SIRSA: The bypoll to the Ellenabad Assembly constituency in Haryana’s Sirsa district on Saturday is all set to witness a triangular contest, with opposition INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala, whose resignation over the farm laws issue necessitated the election, eyeing another win.

    The bypoll will be held on October 30 and the counting will take place on November 2.

    Gobind Kanda, brother of Haryana Lokhit Party chief and legislator Gopal Kanda, had joined the BJP recently and had been fielded by the BJP-JJP combine.

    Pawan Beniwal, who had unsuccessfully contested the previous assembly poll against Abhay Chautala, recently switched over from the BJP to the Congress.

    He is in the fray as candidate of the main opposition party.

    Abhay Chautala’s resignation in January over the farm laws issue had necessitated the bypolls to the rural constituency falling in Sirsa district.

    Over 1.85 lakh voters which includes over 98,000 men and 86,000 women, are eligible to cast their votes.

    The electioneering for the Ellenabad Assembly seat bypoll ended on Wednesday evening with the three central agriculture laws emerging key issue in the election.

    Although a total of 19 candidates, mostly independents are in the fray, Abhay Chautala, Beniwal and Gobind Kanda are being considered as key candidates.

    A major part of the Ellenabad Assembly constituency is rural with people mostly relying on agriculture.

    The elections for the Ellenabad Assembly seat have been held 14 times in which only the candidates of the party led by late Devi Lal were victorious.

    However, things are a bit different this time as many members of the Chautala family are part of the BJP-JJP coalition government.

    During the campaigning, Abhay Chautala’s elder brother and JJP chief Ajay Singh Chautala, the latter’s son and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, targeted the INLD leader holding him responsible for the party’s decline.

    Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, who is an Independent MLA, also campaigned against Abhay Chautala and in favour of the BJP candidate Gobind Kanda.

    The Congress and BJP have targeted Abhay Chautala, alleging that he had thrust the election on people of Ellenabad.

    Tight security arrangements have been made for the bypolls with deployment of 30 companies of central security force, five companies of the Rapid Action Force and Haryana Police.

    One company comprises around 120 personnel.

    Abhay Chautala is eyeing a hat-trick as he will be contesting his third bypoll.

    Earlier, he had won the Rori Assembly bypoll in Sirsa district in 2000 and the 2010 bypoll from Ellenabad when INLD chief O P Chautala had vacated the seat as he decided to retain Uchana seat in Jind district, the other seat from which he had contested in 2009 and won.

    In the 2010 bypolls to Ellenabad, Abhay Chautala won the seat and retained it in 2014 too.

    He again won Ellenabad in 2019 assembly polls when he was the lone INLD MLA to enter the Assembly.

    Winning the Saturday’s bypoll is crucial for Abhay Chautala as a loss will deal a body blow to the INLD, which in recent years is reeling under series of electoral setbacks.

    While the farmers’ agitation against the central farm laws has emerged as the biggest factor in this bypoll, some factors like shortage of irrigation facilities in few villages and waterlogging problem in some segments are also likely to play a role in the bypoll.

    This is the second bypoll within a year which Haryana faces.

    In November last year, main opposition Congress had retained the Baroda assembly seat after its candidate Indu Raj Narwal defeated BJP nominee and Olympian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt.

    The Baroda seat in Sonipat district had fallen vacant after the demise of Congress MLA Sri Krishan Hooda.

  • Haryana bypoll: Farmers will make BJP pay heavy price, says Abhay Chautala

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Farmers will make the BJP pay a heavy price for bringing the contentious farm laws in the bypolls to the Ellenabad Assembly segment, said senior Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Tuesday.

    Chautala, who was his party’s lone representative in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, had in January resigned as an MLA over the three central farm laws in solidarity with protesting farmers.

    He represented Ellenabad, a rural constituency.

    “Farmers will make them pay a heavy price for bringing the black farm laws. The BJP-JJP combine will lose their security deposit,” said Chautala.

    “People will not even allow their leaders (BJP-JJP) to enter the constituency,” he said.

    Chautala claimed that people of Ellenabad will also reject the Congress, “which only sheds crocodile tears in the name of farmers”.

    On who will be INLD’s candidate for the bypolls, Chautala said, “This will be decided by the people of Ellenabad. We will hold a meeting on October 3 and ask them. Whosoever they decide will be the party’s candidate.”

    The BJP had forged a post-poll alliance with the JJP in 2019 after it fell short of the majority mark in the Assembly polls.

    It remains to be seen which of the two allies will put up a candidate for the bypoll.

    Pawan Beniwal, who earlier this month switched over to the Congress, was the BJP’s candidate from the Ellenabad constituency in the last Assembly polls.

    Beniwal had contested unsuccessfully against Abhay Chautala then.

    Bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats and 30 assembly constituencies spread across 14 states will be held on October 30, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday.

    The counting of votes will take place on November 2.

  • Haryana ex-CM O P Chautala to be freed from Tihar after Delhi government’s remission order

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: Former Haryana chief minister O P Chautala, who is serving a 10-year prison term in a teacher recruitment scam case and is out on parole, will be freed from Tihar jail as the Delhi government has granted a six-month remission of sentence, officials said on Wednesday.

    The 86-year-old Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president’s younger son and party leader Abhay Singh Chautala and grandson Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala expressed their happiness over the development.

    The Delhi government passed an order on Monday granting a six-month special remission to those who have served nine-and-half years of their 10-year prison sentence to decongest jails in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Since the 86-year-old former chief minister has already served nine years and nine months of his sentence, he is eligible to get out of prison, officials said.

    “Om Prakash Chautala was sentenced in 2013. He was on emergency parole since March 26, 2020, due to the Covid pandemic and was scheduled to surrender on February 21, 2021. However, his parole had been extended by the high court,” A senior Tihar jail official said.

    As of February 21, he had two months and 27 days of jail time left which will now be counted as remitted.

    He will be formally released whenever he surrenders before the jail authority, the official said.

    “The Delhi government has passed an order regarding special remission of six months to convicts who are sentenced for 10 years and have already completed nine years and six months of custody, including regular remission.”

    “Convicts who are sentenced for seven years or more but less than 10 years, and are left with only five months to complete the sentence will get remission of five months.

    Convicts who are sentenced for five years or more but less than seven years, and are left with only four months to complete the sentence, will get remission of four months,” the remission order stated.

    Similarly, those sentenced to three years or more in prison but less than five years and are left with only three months and those with one year or more sentence but less than three years and are left with only two months, will get remissions of three months and two months respectively.

    Reacting to the development, O P Chautala’s younger son Abhay Chautala, said the Chautala family will always be grateful to the people for their “love and prayers in times of crisis.”

    “Under his (O P Chautala’s) leadership, the INLD party will continue on the path shown by Chaudhary Devi Lal and fight for the peasants and weaker sections of the society,” Abhay Chautala tweeted.

    When reporters in Panchkula sought Dushyant Chautala’s reaction about his grandfather’s imminent release from jail, the deputy chief minister said he learnt about the development through the media.

    “It is a matter of happiness,” he said.

    Notably, Dushyant Chautala floated the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in 2018 when the INLD split following a feud within the Chautala family.

    Dushyant’s brother and senior JJP leader Digvijay Singh Chautala also expressed happiness over the development.

    In a statement, he said Om Prakash Chautala “is our role model” and his struggle in life “is an example for all of us”.

    O P Chautala, his elder son Ajay Chautala, and 53 others, including IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar, were convicted and sentenced in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in 2000.

    They all were sentenced to varying jail terms in the case by a special CBI court in January 2013.

    Kumar, the then Director of Primary Education in Haryana, had initially exposed the scam after he filed a plea in the Supreme Court.

    Later, he was also found to be involved in the scam during a CBI probe.

    Apart from the Chautalas and Kumar, Chautala’s former Officer on Special Duty Vidya Dhar and political advisor to the then Haryana CM Sher Singh Badshami were also given 10-year jail terms.

    The others who were given 10-year jail terms are Madan Lal Kalra, Durga Dutt Pradhan, Bani Singh, Ram Singh and Daya Saini.

    Apart from them, one convict was handed a five-year jail sentence and the rest 44 were given four years of imprisonment.

  • Haryana’s COVID situation worse than Delhi: Abhay Chautala

    By PTI
    SIRSA: Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala has hit out at the BJP-JJP government in Haryana over its COVID-19 management, saying the situation in the state is worse than that of Delhi.

    “The situation in Haryana is worse than that of Delhi. There is no bed available in the hospitals, there is a shortage of oxygen.

    “This government does not have any right to stay in power. Forget about providing the basic needs to the people, they have even failed to give them emergency services,” Chautala told reporters here on Tuesday.

    He said state Health Minister Anil Vij should resign for the alleged failure in the handling of the situation.

    Haryana has registered a sharp rise in the numbers of COVID-19 cases and fatalities this month.

    It recorded the biggest single-day jump in COVID-related fatalities and cases on Tuesday with 84 deaths pushing the toll to 3,926, while the tally climbed to 4,47,754 with 11,931 fresh cases.

    However, the state government has maintained that it is doing its best to deal with the situation even as it has assured people on availability of beds, medical oxygen supplies, medicines, vaccine doses etc.

    Chautala also took a dig at Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, saying he should discharge his responsibility efficiently in the present situation.

    “The government should focus on how to tackle the (COVID-19) situation…but the chief minister gives hour-long speeches on television. Rather than giving such speeches, he should discharge his responsibility. If he escapes from his responsibility, he will have to face people”s anger,” he said.

    The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader said the government should have made preparations in advance to deal with the situation as various reports had said how a few strains, including the UK one, of the coronavirus were in circulation.

    “Had it acted on time, we would not have been facing this kind of a situation. It is because of the government”s negligence and wrong policies that people are facing a big problem now,” he said.

    Chautala also attacked the Congress, the principal opposition party in the state, accusing it of not playing the role expected of it amid the raging pandemic.

    “The Congress is not playing its role and has failed to raise the issues concerning people. Their leaders are sitting inside their homes. They are acting as the ”B” team of the ruling dispensation, which is why the situation in Haryana is bad,” he said.

    On the farmers” issue, Chautala said the peasants are facing a lot of problems.

    “The lifting of crops at the mandis is poor and the payments to farmers are getting delayed,” he said.

  • Lone INLD MLA Abhay Chautala resigns from Haryana Assembly over farm laws

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Wednesday tendered his resignation as MLA from the Haryana Assembly over the three new farm laws.

    Speaker Gian Chand Gupta said he has accepted Abhay Chautala’s resignation with immediate effect.

    Abhay Chautala mentioned that he has resigned as farmers’ demands have not been met, Gupta told reporters here.

    The 57-year-old INLD leader was the party’s lone MLA in the 90-member State Assembly and represented the Ellenabad seat.

    Abhay Chautala, who is the younger son of INLD president and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, drove to the state assembly complex here in a green tractor to submit his resignation.

    READ| Delhi Police detain 200 people in connection with tractor rally violence

    Earlier this month, the legislator had written to the Haryana Assembly speaker, saying if the Centre does not withdraw the three new farm laws by January 26, then his letter may be considered as his resignation as MLA from the House.

    In the letter to Gupta, Abhay Chautala had slammed the Centre for imposing the “black laws” on farmers in an “undemocratic way” and said the farming community in the entire country is opposing these legislations.

    After Abhay Chautala’s resignation, the Haryana Assembly now has 40 MLAs of BJP, 10 of ally JJP, 31 members of main opposition Congress and one MLA of Haryana Lokhit Party.

    Seven members are Independents, out of whom five including Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala support the ruling combine.