If Cong takes steps to bring down Saini govt, we will support: Dushyant Chautala

09/05/2024

Chandigarh, May 8 (PTI) Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala on Wednesday said that if Leader of Opposition B S Hooda takes steps to bring down the Nayab Saini government, his party would support the move.

The former deputy chief minister’s statement came a day after three Independent MLAs withdrew support to the Saini government.

If a no-confidence motion is brought against the Saini government, Chautala said they will vote against the government.

“I want to say on record that if a floor test is held, our MLAs will vote to bring down the government…JJP will issue a whip and vote against it,” he said.

The BJP government, which has the support of two other Independents and lone MLA of Haryana Lokhit Party, is now two short of the majority mark in the 90-member House which has a current strength of 88.

“I want to tell Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda that going by the present numbers in the Assembly, if a step is taken that this government is brought down during (Lok Sabha) elections, then we will fully consider to support them in this from outside,” Chautala told reporters in Hisar.

Now, Congress has to think whether they will take a step to bring down the BJP government,” he said

Asked whether his party will support the Congress, he replied, “We are clear that step should be taken to bring down the government”.

He said the government has lost majority and either the chief minister should prove majority or resign on moral grounds.

Ruling out any possibility of supporting the BJP after its alliance ended, Chautala said, “I have made it quite clear that the JJP will not go with the BJP now”.

On the possibility of the BJP not summoning the House to prove majority, Chautala indicated there are many options available, including moving courts.

Three Independent MLAs Sombir Sangwan (Dadri), Randhir Singh Gollen (Pundri) and Dharampal Gonder (Nilokheri) on Tuesday withdrew support to the BJP government in Haryana and announced they would back the Congress, reducing the Nayab Singh Saini government to a minority in the state assembly.

The present House has an effective strength of 88 with Karnal and Rania assembly seats being vacant. In the present House, the BJP has 40 MLAs, the Congress 30 and the JJP 10 in the House. INLD and Haryana Lokhit Party has one member. Independents are six.

Referring to the three Independent MLAs withdrawing their support, Chautala said hectic political developments have taken place in the last day.

“We demand that on moral grounds, the CM should either prove majority or submit his resignation,” he said.

“We will request and even write to the Governor that he should give direction to the government to prove majority,” he said.

Referring to the JJP’s earlier with the BJP, Chautala said, “Till the time we were supporting the government, never such a situation arose”.

The way three Independent MLAs have withdrawn support shows that the BJP has turned weak. The claims made by the BJP of winning 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana as well as the Karnal assembly seat in the bypoll have also fallen weak,” he said.

On some JJP MLAs indicating support to the BJP, Chautala said notices have been issued to three of them and they have been asked to submit a reply.

“Three MLAs have been issued notice, but they have not replied yet.Appropriate action will be taken by the party,” he said.

He said his party MLAs are bound by the whip and if anyone wants to extend support to anyone else they will have to resign first.

“If anyone takes part in anti-party activity, there is a law for that,” he said.

The JJP had won 10 seats in the 2019 assembly polls while the BJP had bagged 40 seats. They had formed a coalition government in Haryana. However, the BJP snapped ties with the JJP two months ago.

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