Chandigarh, Oct 20 (PTI) Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja Wednesday accused INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala of resigning his Ellenabad assembly seat and thrusting a byelection on people. Ahead of the October 30 bypoll for the assembly seat in Sirsa district, Selja attacked Chautala, saying he chose the easy way out rather than strengthening the opposition"s hands on farmers" issues. She recalled that the Congress, which is the main opposition in the state, had brought a no-confidence motion against the BJP-JJP government on farmers" issues earlier this year. But rather than strengthening the opposition"s hands against the government, Abhay Chautala “chose the easy way of resigning”, she alleged. Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also took a dig at Chautala over the issue. “Before Congress brought a no-confidence motion (in March), Abhay had resigned as MLA. He could have resigned after the no-confidence motion was brought and strengthened the opposition"s hands. “Abhay had said he was resigning on farm laws issue. He had also said till the time farm laws are repealed, he would not enter the Vidhan Sabha. The government has not rolled back these laws and farmers continue to agitate against these legislations but Abhay has sought the re-election,” said Hooda. The bypoll for the Ellenabad assembly seat was necessitated owing to Chautala quitting the seat in January this year in protest against the three central farm laws. Bypolls for the Ellenabad seat will be held on October 30 and votes will be counted on November 2. Selja and Hooda made the allegations against Chautala while addressing a series of poll meetings in different villages under the Ellenabad assembly segment in Sirsa district. Senior Congress leader Vivek Bansal was also present in those rallies. Selja said Abhay Chautala had said he resigned his Ellenabad seat to stand with farmers over the farm laws issue. “He resigned and now he is again in the fray. But farmers" issues for which he resigned have not been resolved. Farmers have been agitating against the farm laws for eleven months now. He thrust the election and is now again seeking votes from the people,” she said. Earlier in March this year, the BJP-JJP government in Haryana had comfortably defeated a no-confidence motion moved against it by the main opposition Congress. Abhay, who was the lone INLD MLA, had recently said he had resigned in support of the farmers after seeking views of the people of his constituency. Gobind Kanda, brother of Haryana Lokhit Party chief and legislator Gopal Kanda, had joined the BJP recently and has been fielded by the BJP-JJP combine. Pawan Beniwal, who had unsuccessfully contested the previous assembly poll against Abhay Chautala, had recently switched over from the BJP to the Congress and is also in the fray. Hooda, who is Leader of the Opposition in the state, took a dig at BJP and its coalition partner JJP, which is headed by Abhay Chautala"s elder brother Ajay Singh Chautala. “He said it is often seen between two allies that they fight over the candidate as both sides want to field their own leader when any polls are held. However, we saw a strange situation here. Neither seemed willing to field a candidate for the bypolls and ultimately they imported one from another party HLP (Gobind),” Hooda said. Hooda also said situation for the BJP-JJP combine was peculiar in another sense too as on one hand Ajay Chautala was seeking votes for BJP-JJP alliance candidate against his brother Abhay, on the other hand Gopal Kanda was campaigning for his brother. Selja also attacked the BJP, alleging that “the BJP only does politics of caste and religion”. “But if they think that does not work in some places, they bring some wealthy person and make him their candidate. They have a special liking for the rich,” she said. “BJP can never be the party of the poor, farmers, small shopkeepers and youths. Haryana today is the number one state in unemployment,” she said. She also targeted the BJP-led government at the Centre over the price rise. “Prices of essential commodities are rising sharply. Cooking gas cylinders, which cost Rs 400 each during Congress-led UPA"s time, now cost around Rs 1,000. Petrol and diesel prices too have shot through the roof and are now beyond common man"s reach,” she said. Appealing to the people to vote for the Congress candidate in the October 30 bypoll, she urged the people “to strengthen the Congress’ hands.” “Rahul Gandhi is the only leader who is raising the voice of the poor, common people and downtrodden sections of the society today,” she said. PTI SUN VSD RAX RAX