INLD MLA quits party, says 'distressed' at feud in Chautala family

In another jolt to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) ahead of the October assembly polls in Haryana, Rania MLA Ram Chander Kamboj quit the party, saying he was "deeply distressed" at the feud in the Chautala family.

In a resignation letter dated July 15, the MLA from the Rania in Sirsa district said the feud in the family resulted in a "great damage" to the party.

Kamboj had sent his resignation to state unit chief B D Dhalia on July 15.

In his letter, 35-year-old Kamboj mentioned that he was quitting from all party posts and giving up the party's membership.

His resignation came at a time when the INLD, led by its jailed leader Om Prakash Chautala, is struggling to keep its flock together, just three months before the assembly elections.

The MLA stated in the letter that his family had been associated with the INLD for past 30 years as they were impressed by the ideals and policies of party founder the late Chaudhary Devi Lal.

"However, during the past a few months, I was deeply distressed at the feud," he wrote, adding that Chaudhary Devi Lal never "hankered after power" and even sacrificed the post of the prime minister.

"But today, there is a tussle in the family over the chief minister's post, which has caused a great damage to the party," said Kamboj.

"In view of these circumstances, I am unable to discharge my duty for the party and with a heavy heart, I am resigning from all party posts," he said in the letter.

The party had split last year due to a feud in the Chautala family.

Former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's grandson and the then Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala had formed the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) after the family feud came out in the open.

The INLD had received a drubbing in the recent Lok Sabha polls as its candidates on all the 10 seats in Haryana lost security deposits.

Speculations are rife that Kamboj, like many of his party colleagues, is likely to switch over to the ruling BJP.

Prominent among the sitting INLD MLAs who have joined the BJP are Ranbir Gangwa, Parminder Dhull and Zakir Hussain.

Four other legislators, including Naina Chautala, have sided with the JJP.

Senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala is the only prominent face among the six MLAs of the INLD in the 90-member assembly.

Kamboj's resignation is a further setback to the party as he belonged to Sirsa, the home district of the Chautala clan.