ALL’S NOT WELL BETWEEN HARYANA’S RULING PARTNERS

Following the debacle in the recent Baroda bypoll, the BJP-JJP government in Haryana is caught in a rift. It was reflected in the way the JJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala opposed the lodging of an FIR against Panipat SP Manisha Chaudhary for allegedly abetting the suicide of former councillor Harish Sharma.

Two days back, the state government had ordered to file a case against the SP, after the family members demanded the same. Chautala defended the lady officer, saying it was not fair to lodge a case against an IPS officer.

It is pertinent to mention here that the two alliance partners had contrary views on several issues following the ruling alliance’s defeat in the Baroda bypoll.

Earlier, Dushyant had pointed out that the lathi-charge on farmers in Pipli was a wrong step, while the BJP outrightly rejected any such high-handedness. The Opposition, including the Congress and the INLD, took a dig at the government following this difference of opinion.

Apart from this, a string of issues also surfaced among the two alliance partners. More importantly, Dushyant Chautala and Home Minister Anil Vij have been involved in a verbal spat over the issue of a liquor scam in the state. Vij attacked the excise department by saying that inefficiency of officials led to the scam, while Dushyant Chautala, who holds the portfolios of department, defended the officials.