JOIN USBJP keeps Haryana ally JJP on tenterhooks
BJP continues to keep its Haryana ally JJP on the tenterhooks with chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar saying that the alliance which was forged with deputy CM Dushyant Chautala’s party “in the interest of the state” exists as of today but refused to comment on the “organizational issues being considered keeping in view the two upcoming elections”.
Khattar’s statement comes just a day after BJP Haryana in-charge and former Tripura CM Biplab Deb met 6 independent MLAs and secured their support in what is being seen as a pre-emptive strike by the BJP if JJP were to walk out of the alliance.
“We are running the government and there is no problem. The state in charge works on the organizational issue. He has to make decisions keeping in view the two upcoming elections, he (Deb) must have thought something so I can’t comment on that,” Khattar said on Saturday on being asked about BJP’s attempts to solicit support from Independents.
BJP currently has 41 MLAs in the house of 90 while its ally JJP led by deputy CM Chautala has 10. With 6 independents now pledging support, the Manohar Lal Khattar government survives a floor test without JJP’s help.
The current disruption in state politics has been triggered by the wrestlers' agitation against BJP MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Parties have started to test the waters on the electoral impact of the agitation led by international athletes from the Jat community in Haryana which makes up almost 27 per cent of the electorate.
During an interaction with party workers last week, former Tripura CM and BJP in charge of Haryana Biplab Deb laid the party’s claim over Dushyant Chautala’s seat which evoked a sharp response from the JJP.
Indicating that his party was prepared for any eventuality, Chautala on Saturday said that JJP has already “started preparations” in all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
“I believe the alliance is going well in the interest of providing a stable government in the state. Tomorrow, if there is a change of heart, what can I say on that?”; he said.
In a triangular contest in the last assembly elections in 2019, BJP emerged as the single-largest party and had formed the government with the support of 10 JJP MLAs.