BJP-JJP Alliance Not Forged Due To Any Compulsion: Dushyant Chautala

Amid simmering tensions between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Haryana ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday claimed that the alliance is running a smooth government in the state.

Chautala said he has been hearing news of a rift in the BJP-JJP alliance in the media for the last three years, but there are no cracks in it.

"The alliance between both parties was forged under the leadership of Union home minister Amit Shah to run a stable government in the state. There was no compulsion and no personal interest in forging an alliance. Both the parties are willing to contest the next assembly and parliamentary polls in alliance and if anyone has changed their mind, we can't do anything," Chautala told reporters.

"If any bitterness emerges between two sides, we will happily get separated," he added.

The BJP joined hands with the JJP in 2019 to form government in Haryana after failing to get a majority. JJP leader Dushyant Chautala was made deputy chief minister.

However, leaders of the two parties have taken swipe at each other recently with Deb saying that the JJP did no favour to the BJP by supporting it as the regional party also joined the government.

Both the parties have been non-committal on whether they would contest the 2024 assembly polls together.

When Chautala was recently asked for comment on some BJP leaders suggesting the party should fight the next year's polls on its own, he said, "But what lies in the future... I am not an astrologer to predict that."

"Do we have to limit the organisation to 10 seats? Not at all. Will BJP fight to limit just 40 seats? Not at all. Both parties are preparing for 90 seats," Chautala had then said.

How the numbers stack up in Haryana assembly

In the 90-member Haryana assembly, the BJP has 41 seats, Congress 30 and JJP 10. While six out of seven Independents support the BJP, one member belongs to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP), which, too, is supporting the M L Khattar-led government.