Abhay Chautala quits as MLA

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala, a sitting MLA from Ellenabad in Haryana, on Wednesday resigned from the Legislative Assembly over the Centre’s new farm laws.

Mr. Chautala, the sole MLA in Haryana from his party, submitted his resignation to Speaker Gian Chand Gupta here. The Speaker told journalists that the resignation had been accepted with immediate effect. In his resignation, Mr. Chautala mentioned that he was quitting because demands of farmers, who had been agitating against the Centre’s farm laws, had not been accepted, said Mr. Gupta.

The resignation of Mr. Abhay Chautala, who is uncle of Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister in Haryana government, is being seen as an attempt to corner Mr. Dushyant, who has been under pressure from protesting farmers and the opposition parties to withdraw from coalition with the BJP in the State government by resigning from his post over farm laws.

Mr. Dushyant Chautala of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) has been defending the new farm laws as “pro-farmer.”

After his resignation, Mr. Chautala said the Centre should immediately repeal the three farm laws.

He said farmers had been agitating peacefully, but to discredit the farmers and the ongoing movement, the BJP government had brought anti-social elements that resulted in violence in Delhi on Republic Day.