The three MLAs – Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Gollen and Dharampal Gonder – also said that they have decided to extend support to the Congress during the elections.
Chandigarh:
In a setback to the ruling BJP in Haryana amid the Lok Sabha elections, three Independent MLAs today announced that they have withdrawn their support to the Nayab Singh Saini-led government in the state.
MLA DHARAMPAL GONDERMLA RANDHIR GOLLENMLA SOMBIR SANGWAN
The three MLAs – Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Gollen and Dharampal Gonder – also said that they have decided to extend support to the Congress during the elections.
They made the announcement at a press conference held in Rohtak in presence of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Udai Bhan.
♦ “We are withdrawing support to the government. We are extending our support to the Congress,” Mr Gonder said.
♦ “We have taken this decision on various issues including those related to farmers,” he said.
♦ Speaking at the presser, Udai Bhan said, “The three Independent MLAs – Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Singh Gollen and Dharampal Gonder – have withdrawn their support to the BJP government and extended their support to the Congress.”
“I also want to say that present strength of (90-member) Haryana Assembly is 88, of which the BJP has 40 members. The BJP government earlier had support of JJP MLAs and Independents, but JJP had also withdrawn support and now Independents are also leaving.
“Nayab Singh Saini government is now a minority government. He should tender his resignation as he does not have right to stay even for a minute,” said Mr Bhan.
Soon after, Hooda said: “This government should resign keeping in view the sentiments of the public. President’s rule should be imposed in the state.”
CM Saini accused the Congress of engineering what had happened. “Some MLAs have some ambitions. These days, the Congress is apparently fulfilling desires (of such people). People understand this. They also know who has what ambitions. The Congress has nothing to do with the needs of the people. They care only about their ambitions,” he said.
While the total strength of the House is 90, right now it is 88 as two MLAs resigned earlier to contest the Lok Sabha polls, both on BJP tickets. While former BJP CMManohar Lal Khattaris the candidate from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat, Ranjit Singh Chautala, earlier an Independent MLA, is contesting on the BJP ticket from Hisar.
Two months ago, the BJP snapped ties with the JJP of Dushyant Chautala, whose 10 MLAs had helped it form the government in 2019. Of the JJP’s 10 MLAs, at least six have distanced themselves from Chautala
The Congress has 30 MLAs in the House. The support of the three Independents takes its tally to 33.
Rejecting the Congress’s claims of the BJP government losing its majority, Saini’s media secretary Praveen Attrey told The Indian Express that apart from the BJP’s own 40 MLAs, the party had the support of two Independent MLAs, Nayan Pal Rawat and Rakesh Daultabad; Gopal Kanda of the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP); and four JJP MLAs, Devender Singh Babli, Ram Kumar Gautam, Jogi Ram Sihag and Ram Niwas Surjakhera.
“The BJP government thus has the support of 47 MLAs against the simple majority mark of 45,” Attrey added.
Golan, one of the Independents who moved from the BJP to the Congress, said: “We kept supporting the BJP government honestly over the past four-and-a-half years. But today, inflationand unemployment have touched new heights, while farmers, labourers, traders, employees… everyone… is upset because of the concept of family ID and property ID.” The IDs were launched by the Khattar government as one card for families to access government benefits.
