Haryana leader says becoming JJP MLA Ram Kumar Gautam his 'biggest mistake'

Hisar- Months after he resigned from a party post saying he was "upset" with its functioning, ruling JJP MLA Ram Kumar Gautam has now said joining the outfit was a "black day in my life" and becoming its legislator his "biggest mistake".

In a veiled attack on Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) president and Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Gautam accused him of retaining most portfolios.

Gautam said first joining the JJP and later fighting elections as its candidate and then going on to become a legislator of the party was his "biggest mistake".

"In my life, I made the biggest mistake. I am repenting by becoming MLA this time, I am not happy... The day I joined this party, that was a black day in my life. Afterwards, I fought election on the party ticket, that again was a very bad day. Today, I realise I made a big mistake," said Gautam, an MLA from the Narnaund constituency in Hisar district.

The 73-year-old leader, who was also in the race for becoming a minister after the JJP formed an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party following last year's assembly polls, said he holds no grudge about not getting a berth in the cabinet led by Chief Minister M L Khattar.

"I never hankered for any post or ministerial berths," he told the media in Narnaund on Monday.

"One minister has 11 departments. Are others stupid? There are so many ministers," he said in a veiled attack on Deputy Chief Minister Chautala.

In December last year, Gautam had said the deputy chief minister had kept 11 departments with him while only one JJP MLA had been made a junior minister with "insignificant" portfolios.

He reiterated that the JJP has influence in a limited pocket in Haryana.

In December last year, two months after the JJP joined hands with the BJP to form a coalition government in Haryana, Gautam had resigned as party's vice president, saying he was "upset with the functioning of the party".

At that time, Gautam had also said JJP leader Chautala "should not forget" that he became deputy CM with the support of his party legislators.

"Nothing is going right in the party. I am upset with the way it is functioning and I have resigned as party's vice president," Gautam had then said.

The JJP had fielded Gautam in the October 2019 assembly polls against BJP's Capt Abhimanyu. JJP entered into a tie-up forming a coalition government with the BJP by extending support to the saffron party when it fell short of a simple majority.

The BJP had won 40 seats in the 90-member Assembly and the JJP led by Dushyant 10. Gautam is also a former MLA of the BJP.

(PTI)