Haryana DyCM's grandfather Om Prakash Chautala flays Centre; predicts mid-term LS polls

Two weeks after being released from jail, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala claimed that there can be a mid-term General Election in India anytime soon. A 4-time Chief Minister, he is the grandfather of current Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala who was jailed since 2013 after being convicted along with his son Ajay Chautala and 53 others over the illegal recruitment of 3206 junior basic teachers. Serving a 10-year prison term, he was on emergency parole since March 26, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He officially became a free man on July 2 owing to the Delhi government's recent order granting a 6-month remission to all those who served 9 and a half years of their 10-year prison term. Speaking to the media on Saturday, he backed his prediction of early polls by asserting that every citizen is aggrieved due to BJP's "wrong policies". In January 2021, the ex-Haryana CM's other son- Abhay Singh Chautala resigned as an MLA in protest against the farm laws. At present, the INLD has no seat in either Parliament or the Haryana Assembly. 

Tough stance on farm laws

Om Prakash Chautala has been critical of the Centre's policies even before. On December 28, 2020, the INLD supremo wrote to PM Modi opposing the implementation of The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. This came even as his grandson's party JJP backed the legislation with some amendments. Chautala lamented that the farmers' stir was going on for a long time owing to the Centre's stubbornness.

Chautala contended that the farmers could not accept these laws taking into account their financial situation. To buttress his point, he claimed that Bihar's farmers were forced to work as labourers in Punjab, Haryana and other states. Moreover, he expressed apprehension that the consequences for the country will not be good if the peaceful agitation turns violent. Pointing out that many farmers had lost their lives during the agitation, the ex-Haryana CM called upon the Centre to either repeal the agrarian laws or keep them in abeyance until all unions and experts consent to them. 

At present, the talks between the Union government and the farmers' unions have come to a standstill. The divide between the two sides further exacerbated on January 26 after the farmers' tractor rally turned violent resulting in 510 Delhi police personnel getting injured and extensive damage to public property. While the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the farm laws, a committee appointed by the apex court submitted its report pertaining to the legislation in a sealed cover on March 19.