Khattar called 'useless animal'; CM hits back, says "Chautala ji, people taught you a lesson"

Chandigarh, Jun 1: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday hit back at former chief minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala for equating him with a "useless animal", saying people have taught his party a lesson for using "such undignified" language.

Khattar took to his Twitter handle to express his displeasure over the Indian National Lok Dal president's remarks against him.

"Om Prakash Chautala ji, people have taught you a lesson for using such undignified language. You can violate dignity but my education is not like that. Will pray to the Almighty to give you good sense and bless with a long life," Khattar said.

Chautala, in a meeting with party workers on Friday after being released on furlough, made stinging remarks against the Haryana chief minister.

"We call animals, be it milch ones or others, who turn ineffective and useless 'Khatter'. This 'nakara' (useless) has come to Haryana. Never thought he would get a chance (to rule the state). It was the state's misfortune. It was like a heavy loss to the state," he said.

The Chautala-led INLD suffered its worst ever drubbing in the recently held Lok Sabha election as the party's all ten candidates forfeited their security deposits. Its vote share dropped to 1.89 per cent.

The INLD, which won two seats in 2014, had then increased its vote share to 24.4 per cent from 15.78 per cent in 2009 when it lost all the five seats it contested. After a split in the party following a feud in the Chautala clan, its political graph nosedived. Chautala's grandsons Dushyant and Digvijay floated a separate outfit — the Jannayak Janata Party.

Chautala, serving a jail sentence in connection with the teachers recruitment scam in Haryana, was released on furlough on May 28. Since then, he had been meeting party workers in the state.

PTI