INLD president says he will work to make Mayawati next Prime Minister

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INLD president Om Prakash Chautala on Sunday said his party will work towards bringing the opposition parties together to make BSP supremo Mayawati the next prime minister after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Out on a two-week parole, the former Haryana chief minister was addressing a rally organised here to mark the 105th birth anniversary of senior Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader and his father Devi Lal. Om Prakash Chautala is serving a 10-year jail term in a teachers' recruitment scam.

"..We will work towards uniting the Opposition so that Mayawati becomes the next Prime Minister," he told the gathering.

Om Prakash Chautala said Lal had a dream that the countrymen should have enough food, shelter, good education and access to affordable health.

"Today, he is not amongst us but we have to follow his ideals and work towards realising his dreams," he said.

The INLD president's son and senior party leader Abhay Singh Chautala also addressed the rally.

Abhay Singh Chautala urged the people to help the INLD-BSP alliance to come to power in Haryana with an overwhelming majority in next year's assembly elections.

"Repeat 1987 (when the INLD swept the state polls) by strengthening the hands of the INLD-BSP combine so that (Om Prakash) Chautala once again becomes the chief minister," he said.

He promised that if the INLD-BSP combine comes to power in Haryana, it will waive the loans of farmers and weaker sections.

The INLD has been fighting for Haryana's rightful share of Satluj-Yamuna Link waters, but the Centre and Haryana government are not serious about completion of the canal, Abhay Singh Chautala alleged.

Former Gujarat chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela also addressed the rally.

He spoke about his close association with Devi Lal and his family for over four generations and said the INLD leader understood the pain of farmers and common masses.

Vaghela attacked the Centre over high fuel prices and said the cut of Rs 2.50 per litre in the petrol and diesel prices was not sufficient.