Chandigarh: A day after three independent MLAs withdrew support to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana, top party leaders played down the threat to the government, saying that they would complete the full term.
Haryana: Congress Seeks President’s Rule, Fresh Polls While BJP Plays Down Threat
The three MLAs – Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Gollen and Dharampal Gonder – had announced their support to Congress at a press conference held in Rohtak on Tuesday, May 7.
Upping the ante, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan told the media that the Haryana governor is being apprised that after the MLAs’ withdrawal from the ruling camp, the government has been reduced to a minority and they have no right to stay in power.
“We are demanding that the government must be immediately dismissed, President’s rule be imposed and fresh elections be held,” he said. He also asked BJP’s former alliance partner, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to write a similar letter to the governor to build pressure for fresh polls.
Responding to Congress, JJP declared that the party would support them in bringing down the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in the state.
JJP leader Dushyant Chautala today told media that if senior Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda takes steps to topple the BJP government, his party was fully supportive of the move. “Now, the Congress has to think whether they will take a step to bring down the BJP government,” he said.
While Hooda skipped a direct question on Chautala’s statement, he told the media that the saffron party’s days are numbered.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini, however, claimed that there is no threat to the state government. “Our government is working hard. People of state won’t make Congress’ wishes come true,” he added. He claimed that his government would not only complete the full term but win the next assembly election – due later this year – with full majority for the third time in a row.
He also added that the state would also fully support Prime Minister Narendra Modi by making BJP win all 10 parliamentary seats in the state – which goes to polls on May 25.
Numbers stacked against BJP
Despite tall claims, BJP has been scrambling for a majority in the state.
To begin with, the BJP formed a coalition government with the JJP as it did not have a majority of seats in the Haryana assembly.
But after the Khattar government was dissolved earlier this year, the BJP formed a government with the support of 48 MLAs – two more than the majority mark of 46 MLAs in the 90-member state assembly – under Naib Singh Saini as the new chief minister.
It included 41 of its own MLAs, six of the seven independent MLAs and one of the Haryana Lokhit Party.
Later, one independent, Ranjit Chautala joined the BJP, thereby taking its official tally to 42.
The situation is different now. Two BJP MLAs, former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Ranjit Chautala, have resigned from their assembly seats to fight the Lok Sabha elections, thereby reducing BJP’s tally to 40 and the majority mark in the state assembly to 45.
This, coupled with the withdrawal of the three independents has left with the BJP with two independent MLAs and one from the Lokhit Party bringing its tally to 43, two short of the majority.
However, Khattar has hinted that the BJP is in touch with several MLAs of rival camps
Sources said that the BJP has been in touch with four MLAs of JJP, who may help save the BJP government if the fight reaches the floor of the house.
Political analyst Vijay Chauhan, assistant professor at department of political science in the Maharana Pratap National College, Mullana (Ambala), told The Wire that while BJP may manage to survive on the support of deserters from other parties but fresh turmoil in the state politics says a lot.
He said it shows that the BJP is losing grip in the state. Independent MLAs feel that they have a better future supporting Congress than the ruling party. “This, for me is a wake-up call for the party ahead of Lok Sabha polls as well as state polls due in November this year,” he added
