Nayab Singh Saini had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister in March.
Chandigarh:
BJP’s former ally Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) on Wednesday said it is ready to help the Congress bring down the BJP government in Haryana, a day after three Independent MLAs withdrew support to it.
However, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini asserted that his government is not in any trouble.
Independent MLAs Sombir Sangwan (Dadri), Randhir Singh Gollen (Pundri) and Dharampal Gonder (Nilokheri) withdrew support to the ruling BJP in Haryana on Tuesday and announced that they would back the Congress, which claimed that the Saini government is reduced to a minority and demanded the imposition of President’s rule.
The fast-paced political developments in the state come at a time when Lok Sabha polls are just a fortnight away and Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in October.
Speaking to reporters in Hisar, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala said if a no-confidence motion is brought against the Saini government, his party will vote against the government.
“I want to tell Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda that going by the present numbers in the Assembly, when this government is in a minority, if a step is taken that this government is brought down during (Lok Sabha) elections, then we will fully consider supporting them in this from outside”.
“Now, Congress has to think whether they will take a step to bring down the BJP government,” Chautala said.
He also ruled out reviving his party’s alliance with the BJP. The two parties had snapped ties in March.
“I have made it quite clear that JJP will not go with BJP now,” Mr Chautala said and demanded that Mr Saini should either prove majority or submit his resignation.
The 90-member Haryana assembly at present has an effective strength of 88 with Karnal and Rania assembly seats being vacant. The BJP has 40 MLAs, the Congress 30 and the JJP 10 in the House. INLD and Haryana Lokhit Party have one member each and there are six independents.
The government has the support of two of the Independent legislators.
“The government is not in any trouble, it is working strongly,” Chief Minister Saini told reporters at Sirsa while replying to queries on the withdrawal of support.
The chief minister was in Sirsa to campaign for BJP candidate Ashok Tanwar.
Hitting out at the Congress, Mr Saini said the opposition party’s actions are only aimed at fulfilling the personal aspirations of some people.
But the people of Haryana will not let the Congress’ designs succeed, the chief minister said, adding the entire country is witnessing the “misdeeds” of the opposition party.
“The Congress knows that it cannot fulfil the aspirations of people and misleads them. It tries to create confusion that the (state) government is in a minority. The government is in no trouble and it is functioning strongly,” he asserted.
In Chandigarh, while replying to a question, Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta said that the Saini government had won the trust vote on March 13.
“How can we say that the government is in minority? It is intact and running as it was earlier,” he told reporters.
Asked if a no-confidence motion can be brought against the government, the Speaker said, “Usually, when a no-confidence is brought, another one can only be brought six months after that. It is a technical matter.”
Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan said the party will write to the governor stating that the Saini government is in a minority after the three Independent MLAs withdrew support to it and that it should be dismissed, President’s Rule imposed in the state and fresh polls announced.
It also asked the JJP, the INLD and Independent MLA Balraj Kundu to write similar letters to the governor to give credence to their claim of opposing the BJP.
Aked about some JJP MLAs indicating support to the BJP after his party pulled out of the coalition government in March, Mr Chautala said notices have been issued to three of them and they have been asked to submit a reply.
He said his party MLAs are bound by whip and if anyone wants to extend support to anyone else they will have to resign first.
Mr Saini had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister in March and the JJP’s four-and-a-half-year-old post-poll alliance with BJP had come to an end.
State Assembly polls in Haryana are due in October while the Karnal Assembly bypoll is scheduled for May 25 along with voting to the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana.
Mr Saini, the MP from Kurukshetra in the outgoing Lok Sabha, is the BJP candidate for the bypolls and, if he wins, the party’s strength in the Assembly will rise to 41.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
