Conflict erupts in Chautala clan over Meham incident

Hisar: The long-standing political rivalry within the Chautala family flared up once again over the decades-old Meham firing incident after INLD leader Karan Chautala claimed that Ajay Singh Chautala's name had appeared in the 1990 FIR, triggering a sharp response from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).Taking strong exception to the remarks, the JJP has served a defamation notice to Karan Chautala, demanding a public apology within 15 days. The notice, sent by JJP state spokesperson Mandeep Bishnoi, also called for the removal of the video clip containing the controversial statement from all social media platforms. According to the notice, Karan Chautala made "false and politically motivated allegations" without verifying the facts, intending to malign the image of JJP national president and former MP Dr Ajay Singh Chautala. It further clarifies that FIR No. 76, dated March 1, 1990, was registered under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), and 149 (common object of unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code, based on a complaint by Dharampal of Madina (Rohtak), in which only Abhay Singh Chautala was named.Advocate Bishnoi stated that on the day of the Meham incident, Dr Ajay Singh Chautala was not even in Meham, but was present in the Dataramgarh constituency of Rajasthan. "Karan Chautala has crossed the limits of political decency in his attempt to defame JJP's leadership," Bishnoi said, adding that Dr Ajay Singh Chautala's public image is that of a clean, courteous, and soft-spoken statesman, respected across party lines.Political observers view the episode as yet another reflection of the deepening divide between the INLD and the JJP, and a fresh flashpoint in the Chautala family's internal power struggle. Revisiting old wounds like the Meham case, analysts suggest, may further strain familial and political relations in a clan once united under the towering leadership of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala. Earlier, former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala had withdrawn a criminal defamation case he filed against health minister Anil Vij after becoming part of the BJP-JJP coalition govt. The case dated back to 2018, when Dushyant, then Hisar MP, held a press conference alleging a major drug procurement scam in the health department. In retaliation, Vij, during an April 3, 2018, press briefing, called Dushyant a "drug addict" and advised him to seek treatment at a de-addiction centre. Dushyant responded with a defamation complaint filed in the Hisar court on July 7, 2018. However, about 15 months after becoming deputy chief minister in the BJP-JJP alliance, Dushyant withdrew the case on June 6, 2022.