Many are taken aback by Manohar Lal Khattar’s resignation as chief minister of Haryana 24 hours after PM Modi’s commendation

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, the BJP reconfigured its political landscape for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Manohar Lal Khattar, the two-term chief minister of Haryana, was replaced by state BJP president and Lok Sabha MP Nayab Singh Saini, while the alliance with Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) was called off. The departing government’s deputy chief minister was Chautala.

The party’s veteran Anil Vij, who held the home and health departments in the outgoing government, protested over being passed over once again during the exercise, which was sparked by the desire to re-energize the rainbow coalition made up of OBCs and others that the BJP has tried to mobilize to deal with Congress’s plan to rally the dominant Jats against it and send a message to the socially backward categories in general.

It is said that he departed from the meeting upon realizing that Saini was likely to win.
Capture Sources indicated that Saini’s appointment, who came from an RSS background and was formerly Khattar’s protégé, was intended to give the social coalition, led by a younger person, a stronger edge. According to reports, Saints play a significant role in 10 out of the state’s 90 seats and can maintain the unity of OBCs, who make up about half of the population and who detest Jat domination.

Khattar’s departure was as unexpected as his appointment as a first-time member of parliament in 2014. This was due to a number of factors, including his membership in the RSS, his social background as a Punjabi refugee who could lead a non-Jat social alliance without upsetting the dominant caste as an entry from the peasant caste might have done, and his reputation for probity, which PM Modi, who had overseen organizational affairs in Haryana, knew firsthand. Five years later, when the party failed to secure a majority and had to engage Dushyant Chautala as an ally, Khattar was well-served by the same causes.

Many were taken aback by his resignation on Tuesday, mainly because of the positive remarks made by Prime Minister Modi less than twenty-four hours before. He spoke warmly of their collaboration, which dated back to the time when he would accompany Khattar on his motorcycle to do organizational tasks.
“Congratulations to Nayab Singh Saini on taking the oath as the chief minister of Haryana,” Modi remarked, wishing the new chief minister on X. I’m wishing the best for him and his group of ministers as they work to realize the dreams of the people of Haryana.”

The objection by Anil Vij, who would wear his dissatisfaction on his sleeves and be a chronic sulker in Khattar’s two governments, seems to have been taken into consideration by the party.
In any event, Chautala’s claim to a Lok Sabha seat for the JJP had made the coalition seem certain to fail. The BJP, which had previously won all 10 LS seats, would not give up. According to sources, the split was unavoidable after Chautala’s meeting with BJP president J. P. Nadda, during which the latter is said to have stated that he was unwilling to spare any of the 10 Lok Sabha seats that the party won handily in 2019.
In the 90-member legislature, the BJP has 41 MLAs, while the JJP has 10.

Six of the seven independents supported the party as well, and it is in a comfortable position even in the absence of JJP’s backing.
Saini’s promotion is the most recent example of the BJP’s initiative to support OBC leadership that is produced domestically and to elevate leaders under 60. It follows right on the heels of Mohan Yadav’s (MP) and Vishnu Deo Sai’s (Chhattisgarh’s) unexpected selections.

Remarkably, the rapid shift in affairs transpired when Hisar-based BJP MP Brijendra Singh defected to the Congress. Singh would have welcomed the coalition’s dissolution since he was adamantly against the JJP partnership. According to a BJP insider, “he must be regretting his hasty decision.”
Together with Saini, five other people swore in as members of the new council of ministers. They are Independent MLA Ranjit Singh Chautala and BJP leaders Kanwar Pal, Mool Chand Sharma, Jai Parkash Dalal, and Banwari Lal. Along with Vij, Kamal Gupta of the BJP, Om Prakash Yadav, Kamlesh Dhanda, former Olympian Sandeep Singh, and Dushyant Chautala of the JJP, along with Devender Singh Babli and Anoop Singh Dhanak, were also removed from the cabinet.
But the council could need to be enlarged in order to include women, Banias, a powerful group being courted by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the AAP, and Yadavs, a significant constituency in the southern portion of the state. It is anticipated that the BJP will return favor with independent MLAs who backed the government and JJP members who are willing to split from Dushyant and attended the swearing-in. Despite Vij’s dismay, five JJP MLAs were present at the swearing-in event, demonstrating the amount of preparation that went into what seemed to be a surprise move.