Chandigarh: Having made its mark in Delhi and Punjab politics, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has now set its sights on Haryana for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejrwial is energetically touring the state and has been raising the issues of better schools and hospitals, something he claims the AAP has done immensely well in Delhi.
While not much can be said about the political base of the AAP in the Jatland, yet his man, Naveen Jaihind, has gone across the state, campaigning and trying to convince the masses.
A newcomer to Haryana politics, the Aam Aadmi Party still hopes to make it big, or at least gain a considerable ground in the state.
The Congress banks on the Jats, the INLD has its own Jat constituency, and the BJP managed to come into power mainly on the votes of the OBCs, not to forget the Jats again.
In a bid to drum up support, the Aam Aadmi Party has sent feelers to the breakaway faction of the INLD led by Ajay Chautala and his two sons — Dushyant and Digvijay.
In Sonepat’s Thana Kalan, to hand over Rs 1 crore cheque to the family of a martyred soldier on November 21, Kejrwial hinted at a possible alliance with the Ajay Chautala faction of the INLD. “Dushyant is leader with a clean image. He is a young leader. I hold him in high esteem. If there would be such a proposal (from Dushyant), the Aam Aadmi Party will definitely think over it”.
Kejriwal’s feelers come in the backdrop of Digivjay Chautala’s statement, who had reportedly said that his outfit would align with any non-Congress or non-BJP party. The breakaway faction is expected to launch a new outfit on December 9.
Reacting to Kejriwal’s statement, Digvijay categorically denied having made any offer. He said, “I was in Jind and was asked who all were invited for the congregation on December 9. I had specifically stated that anyone who in non-Congress or non-BJP is welcome, be it the BSP or the AAP. I or anyone from the party nowhere stated that we will be forming an alliance with them.”
When News18 reached out to Dushyant for a comment, he said, “Let the party be formed first. We will think about it then.”
Given that the developments are in a nascent stage, it is too early to predict if the two ‘newbies’ – as far as their entry in Haryana politics is concerned — will come together, but Kejriwal’s move has surprised many. This comes from a man who has hailed transparency and whose poll plank has been fight against corruption. Outside Delhi, Kejriwal seems to be opening his arms to a tainted leader (Ajay Chautala) who is serving imprisonment in the recruitment scam.
Kejriwal and 8 of his MLAs in Delhi hail from Haryana. Besides, the party recently elected two new MPs to the Rajya Sabha — ND Gupta and Sushil Gupta — who too have their roots in Jatland. Kejriwal seems to be playing a calculated move given his poll prospects in Haryana.
If Kejriwal gets his maths right and the Ajay Chautala faction of the INLD consolidates into an organization, the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in Haryana promise to be an interesting affair. A third front – comprising AAP, Ajay Chautala outfit and the BSP may seem a distant proposition, but then politics makes for strange bed-fellows.
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