Chandigarh:
Abhay Singh Chautala, the lone MLA from his party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), resigned from the Haryana Assembly on Wednesday, two weeks right after announcing that he would quit if the centre did not withdraw its controversial agriculture laws by Republic Day.
The 57-year-old is a 3-time MLA from the Ellenabad seat and is from a party that counts farmers amongst as a essential vote base. He drove to the state assembly complicated in Chandigarh in a green tractor to submit his resignation.
Like most parties from the agrarian northern belt, he had been below stress to demonstrate his allegiance to the farmers protesting the laws.
Earlier this month, in a letter to the speaker he had criticised the centre for imposing “black laws” in an “undemocratic way” and indicated that his conscience would not let him to stay silent any longer.
“If the Government of India does not withdraw these three ‘black laws’ by January 26 then this letter should be considered as my resignation,” Mr Chautala wrote to Speaker Gian Chand Gupta.
He pointed out that the centre was refusing to agree to the farmers’ demand in spite of more than 60 deaths – a lot of of which had been suicides – reported so far. He also stated that as a “responsible” member of the assembly, he was prepared to play any part in the protests.
Last month his father and party chief Om Prakash Chautala, a former Haryana Chief Minister, as well had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to scrap the laws.
Om Prakash Chautala’s grandson is Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, whose Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) helped the BJP to energy right after October elections. Dushyant Chautala as well had stated final month that he as well would quit if unable to safe farmers a assure for MSP, which is one of their two core demands.
Tens of thousands of farmers across India have been on protest against these laws on the outskirts of Delhi considering that November that peaked on Republic Day with a showdown with the police in quite a few components of the capital such as the historic Red Fort right after their tractor rally strayed from agreed routes.
Multiple rounds of talks have failed to yield a breakthrough, with the farmers insisting on legal guarantees for MSP and the scrapping of the laws. The centre has stated the laws will stay, but has presented to type a committee to study other grievances – an give the farmers have rejected.
The centre says these laws will support farmers get rid of middlemen and sell at markets and rates of their decision. The farmers worry it will rob them of MSP (minimum help cost) and, by dismantling government-controlled mandis, or wholesale markers, leave them at the mercy of the corporates.