Chase rulers on streets, force them to flee like in Lanka, Bangla, Nepal: JJP’s Ajay Chautala

Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) president Ajay Singh Chautala remarks asking youths to “pull rulers from chairs, chase them down on streets, beat them and force them to flee the country like in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal” has sparked a political controversy in Haryana, with leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing him of inciting unrest.

Addressing a gathering in Mahendragarh on December 28, Chautala — the father of former Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala — urged people to rise against those in power, saying that change often comes when citizens take to the streets.

“Elders and young friends, now there is a time for a change. And you will bring this change. You and we all together will bring a change, then it will come,” he said, adding the time has come for them to organise and unite.

“When that opportunity comes, just like in our neighbouring countries, in Sri Lanka the way youths overthrew the government there and forced them to flee overnight; just like youths in Bangladesh overthrew the government there and forced their rulers to flee the country; just like in Nepal, youths there mobilised and not only thrashed them on streets but also forced them to leave the country overnight,” Chautala said.

He said similar treatment needs to be meted out to the “rulers” here. “The same way these rulers will have to be dragged from their chairs, chased down on streets, beaten and forced to leave the country and then we will be able to get rid of the misgovernance,” Chautala said.

The remarks drew a backlash from the BJP, a former ally of the JJP, which termed the language used by Chautala as “inappropriate and dangerous in a democratic system”.

Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli termed Chautala’s remarks as “illogical, shameful and aimed at creating an atmosphere of anarchy”. He said that the “JJP leader had lost faith in the democratic system” and claimed that “Chautala’s comments reflected political frustration”. Badoli further said that “Chautala should apologise to the people of the state for his remarks”.

Badoli accused Chautala of being “unable to accept” what he described as the “BJP’s model of good governance” and alleged that the JJP leader was “trying to incite chaos in the state and the country”. He also said that “references to situations in countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal were an attempt to provoke people and destabilise democratic order”. Taking a dig at Chautala’s political legacy, Badoli remarked that “such statements had hurt the dignity of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal”.

The BJP state president also accused Chautala and his family of having ruled in the past by dividing society along caste lines. He said “the JJP leader was unable to accept Haryana’s development trajectory and the growing popularity of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini”.

Haryana Cabinet minister Anil Vij said, “The remarks indicate that Chautala has no faith in India’s democratic system and that he has lost confidence in his own political party”. He alleged that “Chautala was trying to provoke the youth after admitting political helplessness, and said such statements reflected desperation rather than constructive opposition”.

Earlier, Chautala had also lashed out at the Congress, alleging it is working as a B team of the “rulers”.

“The responsibility of the main opposition party which you gave to the Congress and that is working as its B team. I am not saying this. Every single person is saying this in Haryana,” Chautala said.

He said the same people who gave maximum power to (former chief minister) Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the Congress in Rohtak are today saying that if anyone destroyed things the most, it is the father-son duo, alleged Chautala.

The BJP and JJP had joined hand to form government in Hrayana in 2019. The alliance ended ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, after which the two parties emerged as direct political rivals, frequently targeting each other over governance, leadership and public credibility. Since the split, the JJP has positioned itself as a vocal critic of the BJP government, while the BJP has accused the JJP leadership of opportunism and irresponsible politics.