Haryana Khap Panchayats pressurise Chautala over farm laws; JJP-BJP alliance under strain

Trouble seems to have mounted for Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) with increasing pressure from the Jat community to withdraw its support to the BJP-led ML Khattar government in Haryana.

This comes in the backdrop of numerous Khap panchayats lending their support to the ongoing farmers' stir in the country. The farmer union leaders have been organising maha panchayats across Haryana to garner support for the agitation against Central farm laws. 

The Jat vote bank is crucial to the JJP as it largely attributed to the party's success in the 2020 elections. However, several meetings of Khap panchayats being held across the state have made the party leadership somewhat anxious. Due to which Dushyant Chautala, who has a close connection with the community is said to be in a tight spot. 

READ | INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala Resigns From Haryana Assembly Over Farmers' Protest

Dushyant Chautala's uncle resigns

The Deputy CM landed in more trouble after the resignation of his uncle and lone INLD legislator Abhay Chautala a few weeks ago, in support of the farmers. While resigning, Abhay had dared his nephew to walk out of the coalition with BJP. A few independent MLAs have also withdrawn their support for the saffron party over the agitation.

READ | JJP District President Inderjit Singh Goraya Resigns Over New Farm Laws Issue

Dushyant Chautala has however maintained that he would quit the alliance only if the Centre compromises the minimum support price (MSP) in the State. At a recent meeting with his party members, he said JJP would walk out of the government the day the Centre goes back on its word of tinkering with the MSP. Though Chautala has been assured that MSP will remain unaffected, some other JJP leaders are not convinced about the assurances. 

As Rakesh Tikait, who is spearheading the farmers' agitation is a prominent Jat leader himself, the pressure is now on the community to unitedly back the farmers.

READ | Over 60 Haryana Villages Ban Entry Of BJP- JJP Leaders For Backing Centre's Farm Laws

READ | Haryana Congress Boss Claims 'BJP-JJP MLAs In Touch'; CM Khattar Warns 'I Know Everything'