Om Prakash Chautala changes stand on becoming CM

CHANDIGARH: In a departure from his previous stand of being the chief minister of Haryana and taking oath inside Tihar jail if his party was voted to power after the assembly elections, INLD supremo Om Prakash changed his stance on Saturday, saying the decision would be taken by the party's MLAs. Chautala, who has been convicted in the junior basic trained (JBT) teachers' recruitment case, made this statement while addressing the media before going back to jail on the directions of the court.
"In a democratic setup, elected representatives of public decide about their leader in the house. Our MLAs will take a decision about the CM after the elections," he said while responding to questions about INLD's chief ministerial candidate.
Out on bail on medical grounds, Chautala, 79, undertook a whirlwind 15-day tour of Haryana to campaign for party candidates, during which he stated that only he would be the Haryana CM if INLD came to power in the state and, if need be, he would take oath in Tihar jail. His claim of taking oath from Tihar was severely criticized by several political parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While addressing political rallies in Haryana, Modi had mocked Chautala for that and even offered Haryanvis a choice on whether they wanted to go Chandigarh or Tihar to get their work done after the polls.
When asked about Modi's comment that Chautala didn't even trust his own sons and, despite being in jail, he was seeking votes for himself only, Chautala said his family followed the culture of sons not taking any responsibility when the father was alive.
Claiming that his party would get two-third majority after the assembly elections, a confident Chautala said INLD would not need support from any other party to form the government.
Claiming "no Modi wave" in Haryana, the INLD chief described 14 districts of the state where his party was headed for a clear victory. He also asserted that he was ready to bet with senior leaders if they could reveal a single assembly segment in Haryana where BJP was confident of winning.
In his brief interaction of about 10 minutes with the mediapersons, Modi remained on target of Chautala for most of the time. At the end, the former Haryana CM informed that respecting the court orders, he was surrendering in Tihar jail. Justifying his poll campaign during the bail period, Chautala said there was no bar in his bail conditions on meeting the general public.
Accuses BJP of plotting against him
Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala on Saturday said that the BJP has been pressurizing the CBI to frame him for violating bail conditions on purpose. "I haven't received any instructions from the court saying I can't participate in public meetings, and this is product of BJP's frustration. The BJP is pressurizing the CBI and is trying to frame me on purpose," said Chautala.
"The court has asked me to surrender on 17th and if they ask me to surrender today, I'll do it. I do not understand why the CBI is interfering as I have done no wrong. Nonetheless, the BJP is about to lose in Haryana assembly elections," he added.
Chautala has been convicted in the Junior Basic Trained (JBT) teachers recruitment scam case and in September was asked by the Delhi high court to surrender on or before October 17. He was granted bail on medical grounds.
(With inputs from agencies)