Chandigarh, January 11: Grandson of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator Abhay Chautala on Monday sent a "conditional" resignation letter to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker, offering to resign from the assembly in Haryana if the Centre failed to repeal the new agricultural laws by January 26. In his letter, Chautala said it should be considered a resignation from the Assembly if the Central government failed to repeal the three farm laws by January 26.

He's the lone INLD legislator in the Vidhan Sabha. His party's breakaway faction, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), is the crucial coalition partner in the state BJP government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. Harsimrat Kaur Badal Resigns as Union Minister From Modi Cabinet in Protest Against Farm Bills.

Abhay Chautala, INLD Legislator, Gives ‘Conditional’ Resignation

JJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has been maintaining stoic silence in public over the issue of farmers, who have been staging protests on the border of the national capital, demanding revoking of the agricultural laws, for the past 47 days.

Abhay Chautala's Tweet

The INLD and the JJP is primarily a rural Jat-centric party with the farmers as its core vote bank. The Jat, a dominant farming community, comprises 28 per cent of state's population. Twenty-five Jat leaders, comprising four Chautalas, were elected to the state assembly in October 2019.

Coming out openly for the first time with the protesting farmers, JJP national chief and former MP, Ajay Singh Chautala, who is the brother of Abhay, on December 2 said the Centre should give, in writing, an assurance on the minimum support price (MSP) to the protesting farmers that largely comprises from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Political observers believe pressure on the JJP within the party to withdraw its support to the state government has been gaining as the BJP Central leadership has been adopting 'tough posture' on its three new agricultural laws even at the end of eight rounds of talks that remained inconclusive so far. The farmers have been insisting to scrap the 'black' farm laws in totality, but the Central government is willing to amend a few provisions of laws.

Also, believe political observers, the JJP is facing an 'internal rumblings' as its leaders have been saying if BJP's Punjab ally Akali Dal could reject the lure of office and stand up for its principles to "to save the beleaguered peasantry", then why not the JJP. Besides the JJP's 10 legislators, seven independent MLAs had also extended support to the BJP, helping it reach a tally of 57 seats in the 90-member Assembly.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2021 08:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).