Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday visited Teja Khera in the Sirsa district and paid tributes to former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, who passed away last week.

Singh reached the Chautala family’s farmhouse in the Teja Khera village and met the departed Indian National Lok Dal chief’s sons Abhay Singh Chautala, who is an INLD leader and Ajay Singh Chautala, who heads the JJP party. He also met O P Chautala’s younger brother and former Haryana minister Ranjit Singh Chautala and offered condolences to the Chautala family. Ex-chief minister Chautala was former deputy prime minister Devi Lal’s eldest of the four sons.

Chautala, who was a five-time chief minister, died in Gurugram on Friday. He was 89. Speaking to reporters at Teja Khera, Singh recalled his association with O P Chautala and said he shared “deep relations” with him.

He said that as chief minister of Haryana five times, he not only served people of the state, but the services which he rendered for the farming community can never forget that. “He was son of a great leader (Devi Lal), but in the political sphere, he carved out his own identity,” said Singh about Chautala, whose party was part of the NDA earlier.

He said that Chautala was a flag-bearer of the anti-Congress front all his life.

He also said that Chautala walked the path shown by Sir Chhotu Ram, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Chaudhary Devi Lal (all of whom were considered the messiahs of farmers).

On Saturday, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal were among prominent personalities who reached Teja Khera to attend the last rites of the departed leader.