Former Deputy Chief Minister and Jannayak Janta Party leader Dushyant Chautala, who is contesting the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections from his family’s Uchana Kalan in Haryana’s Jind, speaks to A Hindu on many issues including the challenges ahead of his party, his collaboration with the Azad Samaj Party, his learning from mistakes and the resentment of his core vote bank.
These are challenging times for your party with a shrinking support base, and workers and MPs quitting before the election? How do you plan to deal with it?
There are many instances in political history where a party has gone through a difficult phase. These ups and downs are part of the political journey. Every election is a challenge and the winning party forms the government. We will expand our support base, bring more people into the fold and train them. We will work hard and move forward.
In your social media you recently wrote that you learn from your mistakes. What mistakes are you talking about?
I believe that no one is perfect. So if something goes wrong, be it in political decision-making or government administration, those are my mistakes. I think they weren’t, but if people think differently, I will improve.
Can you clarify
Like, I’m talking about the feelings of many people and my supporters. When I walk among people, everyone says that I should have resigned during the farmers’ riot. I didn’t understand their feelings at that time, maybe it was my fault.
How do you deal with people’s anger over the two issues of the JJP-BJP alliance and the stand your party took during the farmers’ agitation?
People are angry, but how long can it be like this? It won’t last forever. We had to fulfill the promises we made to the people in the election. Those promises could not be fulfilled by remaining in opposition. The monthly pension for the elderly in Haryana has been increased to Rs 3,000. It was because of our efforts. I believe people will understand this. We have given 50% reservation to women in panchayats and 8% reservation to OBC (A). It happened because we were part of the government. I was sitting in the position of opposition, I used to criticize and find mistakes, but I failed to fulfill the promises.
But your party’s two big promises of 75% reservation for local youth in private jobs and Rs.5,100 monthly pension for the elderly have not been fulfilled.
We have removed the 75% reservation law for private jobs in the State Legislature. Sub-judice. So many things of the Union government in the last decade are also sub-judice. Our law has not been overturned by the Supreme Court. We increased the old age pension from Rs.2,000 to Rs.3,000, being part of the BJP led government. BJP is in power in 18 States, but in none of those states the pension is more than Rs.1,000. Does my group not have a role in the pension increase? I had only 20% share in the government, but I have achieved a lot. I think it was good enough.
Your party and its ally Azad Samaj Party are catering to different, mutually exclusive vote banks. How do you connect?
Our vote bank is the same. We are looking for those under the age of 55. They make up about 60% of all voters in the State. If we win this 60% vote bank, we can form our own government.
But both sides have different divisions.
We don’t think like this. It is not our idea to talk about apartheid politics. The aim of both parties is to develop the youth and we have a clear vision for it with the State.
What is your opinion on the Haryana Assembly polls. What role do you see in your alliance after the results?
I think Haryana will have a hanging assembly and our alliance will have a very important role to play in it. The task at hand is to get the highest numbers. Once we have the numbers, we will decide on the future course.
Do you regret the post-poll alliance with the BJP after the 2019 assembly polls.
I do not regret joining the alliance with the BJP, but I do regret standing with them during the farmers’ agitation.
Published – September 28, 2024 02:11 am IST
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