Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's grandson and Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala on Sunday launched a new outfit 'Jannayak Janata Party', an expected development that came following a power struggle in the main opposition Indian National Lok Dal last month.
The announcement by the group led by O P Chautala's elder son Ajay Singh Chautala was made at a well-attended rally at Jind, considered as the political heartland of the state.
The Indian National Lok Dal had split following differences between Ajay Singh Chautala and his younger brother Abhay Chautala.
Ajay Chautala is undergoing a 10-year jail term along with father Om Prakash Chautala since 2013 in a teachers' recruitment scam and could not make it to the rally.
The flag of the new outfit, whose predominant green colour bears resemblance with INLD flag and also has a smaller patch in yellow colour, carries picture of Om Prakash Chautala's father and former deputy prime minister Devi Lal in the centre.
The flag of the new outfit was unveiled here by Ajay's wife and MLA Naina Chautala.
Ajay's other son Digvijay Chautala, three rebel MLAs of INLD including Rajbir Phogat, former Speaker Satbir Singh Kadian, were among those present.
The name of the new party begins with 'Jannayak', a reference to Devi Lal, with various speakers at the rally pledging to walk the path shown by the late leader.
Over recent weeks, the feud saw the expulsion of Ajay Chautala and his sons, Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala, from the Haryana-based party headed by Om Prakash Chautala.
The two young leaders were shunted out after their slogan-shouting supporters allegedly targeted Abhay Chautala at an INLD rally in Gohana in October.
In the feud, Om Prakash Chautala threw his weight behind his younger son Abhay Chautala.
Addressing the public gathering here, Dushyant Chautala said that time has come to make a new beginning and bring in a change, while promising that the new outfit will follow the path shown by Devi Lal and lay foundation for ouster of Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and the INLD in upcoming polls.
The new outfit will contest all 10 Lok Sabha seats from the state and also fight the Vidhan Sabha polls, he said.
"Today, every party has lost connect with the people..people want change and our party will provide them the alternative," Dushyant said.
He also touched upon the circumstances and developments which took place in recent weeks within INLD that ended in a split and the decision to float the new outfit.
"Flow of rivers cannot be stopped...," he said, taking a veiled dig at his uncle Abhay Singh Chautala, who while addressing a meeting of party's state executive in Chandigarh on Sunday, claimed that the new outfit will disintegrate shortly.
Abhay Chautala dared Dushyant to resign as Lok Sabha member of the INLD if he was so sure of his popularity.
He claimed that the group led by Ajay had hinted to walk a separate path when they formed organisations like Jannayak Sewa Dal and INSO.
Dushyant, meanwhile said in the rally that "Tau Devi Lal always fought for rights of farmers and weaker sections. He was always above petty politics".
About the colour of the flag, he said while green was symbolic of security, progress, brotherhood, yellow symbolises happiness, energy and optimism.
"The party will run on the path shown by Tau Devi Lal and with Ajay Singh's loyalists and by what public want..," he said.
Dushyant tried to justify why the banners and posters at the rally did not bear the photo of O P Chautala.
"Many people say we removed Chautala sahab's photos from posters. He is head of our family, but he is also head of our rival (INLD) party. There is a legal hurdle that we cannot have photo of head of our rival party in our (party) posters.
"The day when Chautala sahab will resign as national president of INLD, the same day we will have his photo in our posters. At the same time, I want to say that no-one can take him out from our hearts," he said.
Wearing a 'green' pugri with yellow on its top, he sought to assert that his father will be the real inheritor of Devi Lal's legacy after O P Chautala.
"The colour of our pugri will be green. People can take the party from Chautala sahab, they can take land and property, but as per social customs this purgri was passed on to Chautala sahab (from Devi Lal) and from him it will go to Dr Ajay Singh," he said.
Dushyant hit out at the ruling BJP, saying it had failed on all fronts including in giving jobs and on law and order front.
"Pick up any newspaper, you come across incidents of rape, murder, dacoity and Haryana has gone behind even a state like Bihar," he said.
He also hit out at the Congress, alleging several land scams took place during their rule.
Dushyant made a slew of promises to the people in case his party is voted to power.
This included providing 75 per cent reservation in jobs for youths of Haryana, enhanced MSP to farmers, sops for employees and reforms in education.
