Chandigarh:

In a big jolt to Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) a month ahead of the assembly elections in Haryana, four of their 10 MLAs have quit the party.

MLAs Ishwar Singh, Ramkaran Kala and Devendra Babli resigned from the primary membership and all responsibilities of the party today while Anoop Dhanak had quit yesterday. They are likely headed to the BJP and Congress, the two major parties that had won five seats each in the Lok Sabha elections held in June.

The JJP, led by the former deputy chief minister, had earlier sought the disqualification of two other MLAs – Ramniwas Surjakhera and Jogi Ram Sihag – for anti-party activities. They had campaigned in favour of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

Another MLA, Ramkumar Gauram from Narnaund, had been opposed to the party for some time.

This effectively means the party is left with just three loyalists in the state assembly, which includes Dushyant Chautala, his mother Naina Chautala, and Amarjit Dhanda.

Haryana is to set vote on October 1 to elect its 90-member assembly, the Election Commission announced yesterday. The votes will be counted on October 4.

Mr Dhanak, an MLA from Uklana in Hisar, was a minister in the BJP-JJP coalition government that fell with the resignation of ML Khattar earlier this year. He is likely to join the BJP.

Mr Babli, who represents Tohana in Fatehabad; Mr Singh, an MLA from Guhla Chikka in Kaithal district; and Mr Kala, who represents Shahbad in Kurukshetra, are likely to join the Congress.

While the sons of Mr Kala and Mr Singh had already joined the Congress, Mr Babli had campaigned for senior Haryana Congress leader Kumari Selja in the Lok Sabha elections.

New Delhi:

The owner of a bike showroom in Haryana’s Hansi was shot dead by a group of four bike-borne attackers today. Three men barged into a Hero motorcycle dealership and fired at the owner, Ravindra Saini, while a fourth waited outside. Mr Saini was associated with the Jannayak Janta Party.

The showroom’s armed guard tried to intervene but could not stop the attack.

CCTV installed outside the showroom caught the attackers entering the showroom and then escaping on a bike after the murder.

Video from the camera showed a man waiting for the three men on a bike outside the showroom. The three attackers were seen hurriedly hopping onto the bike and riding away.

The police have launched a massive manhunt to arrest the accused, officials said.

Chandigarh:

Former Union Minister Birender Singh on Monday threatened to quit his party, the BJP, if it continues its alliance with Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in Haryana.

The JJP is a junior partner in the BJP-led government in Haryana. Dushyant Chautala is the Deputy Chief Minister.

“If the BJP-JJP alliance continues, then I will leave BJP,” the former minister, who was earlier in the Congress, made the remarks at a public rally, “Meri Awaz Suno”, in Jind.

He also said that he has got a lot of respect from the BJP and there is no reason for him to criticise the party. “But Birender Singh always speaks his mind and that is my nature,” he said.

Accusing the JJP of indulging in rampant corruption, the BJP leader said, “A big leader of the JJP has betrayed the people in such a massive way that no other political leader of Haryana has.”

Birender Singh, who crossed over to the BJP in 2014, is a prominent Jat face from Haryana. He has also been a three-time minister in the Haryana government.

Birender Singh’s family and JJP chief Ajay Singh Chautala’s family are political arch-rivals.

The bone of contention, say reports, is who will get the Uchana Kalan seat, which is a family stronghold of Birender Singh.  

In 2014, Prem Lata, Birender Singh’s wife, defeated Dushyant Chautala. In 2019, the JJP leader avenged his loss. Political observers say the seat is likely to go to Dushyant Chautala again his time.

Dushyant Chautala too has made it known that he wishes to contest from the same seat. Birender Singh’s family too wants the same seat.

There has been no reaction from the BJP on the leader’s statement.