Three years after the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) came into existence, breaking away from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the party is gearing up to commemorate its third foundation day on December 9 by holding a rally. In fact, it is for the first time that the party is celebrating its foundation day on a large scale, with the first two occasions marred by different reasons.
But it is the choice of the venue for the foundation day celebration by the party — with a majority of its support base among the Jats across the rural belt of Jind-Hisar-Kaithal — that has a political message for its opponents with a hint to expand its base beyond its bastion.
The rally’s venue, Jhajjar, a south Haryana district, is considered a stronghold of the Hoodas and also shares border with Gurugram-Rewari-Mahendragarh-Ahirwal belt that swears by BJP Lok Sabha MP and Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh, the scion of Rao Tula Ram.
“The rally has a message for the Hoodas about the growing popularity of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala among the youth in the State. Also, the JJP senses an opportunity in south Haryana with Mr. Singh, aged 70, being at the fag end of his political career and the youth in the region at political crossroads looking for a new young dynamic leadership,” said Yashesh Yadav, party’s Gurugram spokesperson.
Meo Muslims-dominated Nuh, another south Haryana district with three Assembly constituencies, has been a traditional bastion of the INLD since Chaudhary Devi Lal days and Mr. Chautala has been active in the district for more than a year now holding rallies and meeting workers.
Hooda criticised
Responding to former Minister and Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal’s comment on the JJP’s choice of venue, Digvijay Chautala, general-secretary, JJP, had retorted saying that entire Haryana was the home-turf of the party unlike former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who resorted to the politics of regionalism during the Congress rule.
According to the party leaders, the JJP wants to shake-off its image of being a party of a particular community and region, and expand to the urban areas.
