Karnal (Haryana) : With former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala back in Delhi’s Tihar prison following his surrender on court’s order on Saturday evening, a no-holds-barred verbal fight has broken out between the ruling Congress and his Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday unleashed verbal barbs at the jailed INLD chief, reports IANS. Taking on Chautala over his remarks that he would take oath as the next CM in Tihar Jail, Hooda said: “How can this man dream of becoming the chief minister when he is not even eligible under law to contest the election for a legislator?” “He is only trying to fool people,” Hooda told.
“If he wants to fulfil his wish to be the chief minister again, I suggest that he should hold an election among prisoners in the (Tihar) jail. He can also form his cabinet in jail and run his government,” he said, mocking Chautala.
“There is something called rule of law. He (Chautala) has been convicted in the (teachers’) recruitment scam and that is why he is in jail. The law prohibits him from contesting any election. He cannot even become a legislator, let alone becoming chief minister,” Hooda pointed out. Chautala, 79, was convicted by a CBI court in Delhi January last year along with 54 others, including his legislator son Ajay Chautala, for large-scale irregularities and corruption in recruitment of teachers.
