Chautala floats third front idea, says will host Nitish on August 1

Indian National Lok Dal president Om Prakash Chautala Tuesday said he will soon be contacting leaders from the opposition parties to forge a third front at the national level and added that he will be hosting a luncheon for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on August 1.

“People are in utter distress due to which it is extremely important to topple the current regime. I will try my best that a third front is constituted. INLD will be contacting all opposition parties at the national level and even at the state level across the country to constitute a third front,” the former Haryana chief minister said at a press conference at INLD’s party office here.

Chautala said the official announcement of the third front will be made on Chaudhary Devi Lal’s birth anniversary on September 25.

INLD sources said Nitish had recently spoken to Chautala over the phone to enquire about his well-being. JD(U) leader K C Tyagi had also visited Chautala’s Gurgaon residence and it was during their meeting that Nitish had spoken to Chautala over the phone.

On being asked if he will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chautala said he has “family relations” with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) president and “we have been there in each other’s good and bad times”.