Gurgaon, May 2 (IANS) Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, accused of abetting the suicide of a former air hostess, Friday launched his Haryana Lokhit Party here.
Kanda said his party would provide people a “clean alternative” in Haryana and free the state of caste politics. He also said his party will work towards safety of women.
The suicide episode “may be a hurdle in the way of our new party but we are ready to face more such allegations by political rivals”, Kanda said.
The party office is located in the building that once housed Kanda’s MDLR Airlines.
Kanda and his aide Aruna Chadha are accused of abetting the Aug 4-5, 2012, suicide of the 23-year-old former air hostess who left behind a note accusing the duo of harassing her.
Kanda, an independent legislator from Haryana’s Sirsa, was minister of state for home, sports and industries before he was sacked from the cabinet by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda after outrage over Kanda’s alleged role in the suicide.
Accusing the Hooda government of tapping ministers’ phones, he said his party will contest all 90 seats in the coming assembly election in Haryana.
A trial court in Delhi had March 4 allowed the bail application of Kanda, who was in judicial custody since August 2012.
Kanda and Chadha have been charged with abetting suicide, criminal conspiracy, forgery and hacking computers and sending offensive or false messages.
The Delhi High Court had Feb 10 granted bail to Chadha.
Bollywood director Anil Sharma, of “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha”, “Apne” and “Singh Saab The Great” fame, and actor-director Satish Kaushik were present during the party launch.
