Amidst a storm of political maneuvering in Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini took a defiant stand against the opposition’s allegations, accusing them of misleading the public. The state has been gripped by a tense political crisis following the defection of three Independent MLAs who had previously supported the ruling BJP government.
CM Saini, addressing the media on Friday, criticized the Congress and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) for claiming that his government lacked a majority in the wake of the Independent MLAs’ switch. He challenged the opposition to reveal their true numbers and demanded written confirmation from the governor regarding their legislative support.
#WATCH | Chandigarh: On political developments in the state, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini says, “They have nothing to do with anyone. They want to mislead people. They should give in writing to the Governor how many MLAs they have but not mislead like this. We won the Trust Vote… pic.twitter.com/U5t279neQI
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024
The tensions escalated when Dushyant Chautala, former deputy chief minister and JJP chief, wrote to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, seeking intervention to break the political deadlock. Chautala called for a prompt floor test and suggested the imposition of President’s Rule if the government failed to demonstrate its majority.
However, Chief Minister Saini maintained that the opposition parties have failed to prove how many MLAs they actually have supporting them. “They have nothing to do with the people and only want to mislead them,” he stated. Saini said the BJP had proven its majority in a recent trust vote and would do so again if necessary.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon and Chief Minister Saini took part in a joint roadshow in Chandigarh on Friday to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Tandon will file his nomination to run for election today.
On Thursday, three JJP legislators met with former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, fueling further speculation about the political situation. However, the meeting was later said to concern an inquiry about a relative’s health.
With 90 seats in the Haryana Assembly, the political numbers remain tight. The BJP currently holds 39 seats, with external support from other parties bringing it to 43. But the withdrawal of support from three independent MLAs earlier this month reduced the ruling coalition to a minority. The opposition says this proves the government has lost majority support.
The political turmoil comes as Haryana’s 10 Lok Sabha seats are scheduled to vote in the national elections on May 25.
