From Tihar Jail, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala expels son for 'anti-party activities'

Indian National Lok Dal state unit chief Ashok Arora read out a letter from Om Prakash Chautala, who is in Tihar Jail in the national capital, communicating his decision to all. A meeting of the INLD leadership has been called here on November 17.

The Indian National Lok Dal, which is Haryana's main opposition party, could be heading for a split with the fight within the Chautala family spilling out into the open over the past few days. Dushyant and Digvijay Chautala are the great-grandsons of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal. / File Image/ AFP

Chandigarh: The INLD party supremo Om Prakash Chautala expelled his elder son Ajay Singh Chautala from the primary membership of the party for "anti-party activities". The expulsion decision was announced by the Indian National Lok Dal state unit chief Ashok Arora here on Wednesday in the presence of senior party leaders and Ajay Chautala's younger brother, Abhay Singh Chautala. Taking a strong stance on the growing family feud from Tihar Jail in the national capital, state unit chief Ashok Arora read out a letter from Om Prakash Chautala communicating his decision to all. A meeting of the INLD leadership has been called here on November 17. Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and his younger brother, Digvijay Chautala, who are the sons of Ajay Chautala, were expelled from the primary membership on November 2 by their grandfather, bringing the bitterness within the Chautala clan out in the open. Ajay Chautala, who was out of Tihar on parole, was touring various parts of Haryana to mobilise support for the party meeting and a rally he has called in Jind on November 17. Reacting to the expulsion of Ajay Chautala, his son Digvijay Chautala said that the whole exercise was a "conspiracy" and the expulsion letter was "forged". Earlier, refusing to accept his expulsion, Dushyant had pointed out that neither has his expulsion order been issued officially by the INLD nor has the party's national executive met to decide the issue. Dushyant, who was also removed from the post of leader of the INLD Parliamentary Board, claimed that he had learnt about his 'expulsion' only through the media. The INLD, which is Haryana's main opposition party, could be heading for a split with the fight within the Chautala family spilling out into the open over the past few days. Dushyant and Digvijay Chautala are the great-grandsons of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal. The action follows activities of both youth leaders and their supporters when they tried to project Dushyant as the chief ministerial face in Haryana next year. O.P. Chautala and his elder son, Ajay, were convicted in the JBT (junior basic teacher) recruitment scam in January 2013. Both were sentenced to 10 years' in prison by a Central Bureau of Investigation court in Delhi. Father and son have been barred from contesting elections due to the conviction. The INLD has been managed by Chautala's younger son Abhay Singh Chautala, who has been the leader of opposition in the Haryana Assembly, since then. (Agency inputs) ALSO WATCH: