INLD will make 2 dy CMs if it comes to power in Haryana in 2024: Abhay Singh Chautala

Senior Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala Wednesday said if his party comes to power next year in Haryana, there will be two deputy chief ministers, one from backward classes and another from the Scheduled Castes category.

The lone MLA from the party in the 90-member Haryana assembly also said the INLD has decided to give tickets for 11 assembly seats to panchayat representatives, including sarpanch, panch, zila parishad or block samiti chairmen, members and others.

Chautala told reporters here that both these decisions were taken in consultation with the INLD president and former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and other senior leaders of the party.

''We will make two deputy chief ministers, one from backward classes and another one from Scheduled Castes category,'' he said.

Haryana Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda recently said that if his party forms the government in the state after the 2024 assembly election, there will be four deputy chief ministers, including one from the Brahmin community.

Slamming the state's BJP-JJP government, Abhay Chautala alleged it has imposed various kinds of restrictions on panchayat representatives.

''When our government comes, we will remove all these restrictions,'' he added.

Earlier this year, many sarpanches had protested against the e-tendering system for development work in rural areas, claiming it would curtail their spending powers.

However, the state government maintained that the e-tendering system would bring transparency, ensure quality in development works and ensure their completion in a time-bound manner.

Abhay Chautala also slammed the BJP-led government, which completed nine years in office on October 26, saying during its rule, there have been scams, paper leaks and rampant corruption and unemployment has increased. Farmers' woes have multiplied as well, he added.

Abhay Chautala further said that the open debate called by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Ludhiana to discuss issues related to the state, including the SYL, was a ''drama''.

''The Punjab debate is only a drama, an attempt to mislead people,'' he added.

''Haryana will get its rightful share of SYL, no one can stop it,'' Chautala said, adding that Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar should convene an all-party meeting and summon a special session of the assembly to discuss the SYL issue.

Opposition leaders in Punjab skipped the open debate on Wednesday to discuss issues related to the state, with Mann saying it would have been ''better'' had they come and not ''run away'' from presenting their views.