Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala passed away in Gurugram on Friday at the age of 89 after a cardiac arrest.
Born on January 1, 1935, in a village near Sirsa, he was the son of Chaudhary Devi Lal, a significant figure in Indian politics who served as Deputy Prime Minister and played a crucial role in the establishment of Haryana as a separate state in 1966.
Chautala’s political career spanned several decades, during which he served as Chief Minister for four terms: briefly in 1989-1990 and again from 1999 to 2005. He has also been a seven-time MLA.
A five-time Haryana chief minister Chautala was a tall figure in Haryana and Indian politics and a prominent leader of the Jat community, but his career was marked with controversies and jail term.
Born into an influential political family, Chautala was the eldest son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and headed INLD, a party founded by his father. Though Chautala could never match the stature his father enjoyed, he was known for his sharp political acumen and wit despite not being well-educated. Chautala served as chief minister of the state for five terms, though it was between 1999 and 2005 that he enjoyed a full term. In between, right from 1989 to July 1999, he served intermittent terms in office.
When Devi Lal became deputy prime minister in the Janata Dal government in 1989, it was Chautala who became the chief minister. He remained MLA for six terms and was elected for the first time in 1970 from Ellenabad from Sirsa, what was considered a stronghold of the Chautala family. He also represented Narwana, Uchan, Darba Kalan and Rori.
Chautala’s younger brothers Pratap and Ranjit Chautala also remained MLAs while another brother Jagdish’s son Aditya Devi Lal is a sitting INLD MLA. Chautala’s two sons Abhay and Ajay and their sons are also into politics. Chautala had a fair share of controversies.
In 1990, Meham assembly seat remained in national news after large-scale violence. The opposition had then accused Chautala of trying to force his victory there. The episode became infamous in Haryana’s politics as “Meham Kand”. Later, the polls on the seat had to be postponed three times.
The Meham incident occurred following the killing of a rebel Lok Dal leader and seven others in the violence which ensued.
Between 1989-91, Chautala served as chief minister for short terms. It was in 1999 that he enjoyed a full term. During this, the BJP was an ally of the INLD, though it was not part of the government. The INLD remained an ally of the NDA at the Centre then but the ties broke before the 2005 Haryana assembly polls.
He served as chief minister from December 1989 to May 1990, July 12 1990 to July 17, 1990 and from March 1991 to April 6, 1991 and again between July 1999 to February 2005.
After 2005, the INLD never came to power in Haryana and its graph over the years continued to slide following electoral reverses.
In December 2018, Chautala’s elder son Ajay Chautala floated Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) after a vertical split in the INLD following a family feud. The JJP, later extended support to the BJP in 2019 when the saffron outfit fell short of majority in the assembly polls. But the alliance broke in March 2024 when the BJP replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister. The major setback for Chautala came when he was jailed in 2013 in connection with a teacher recruitment scam.
At that time, Chautala, his son Ajay and 53 others, including an IAS officer, were convicted and sentenced in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in 2000 when the INLD was in power.
They all were sentenced to varying jail terms in the case by a special CBI court in January 2013. While serving a 10-year prison term in a teacher recruitment scam case, Chautala was released from Delhi’s Tihar Jail in July 2021. At that time, he was already out on parole.
Later in May 2022, he was again sent to the Tihar Jail after he was awarded a four-year jail term in a disproportionate assets (DA) case. Like before, he was lodged in jail number 2 and became the oldest inmate in the prison at 87.
In August 2002, the Delhi High Court suspended the four-year sentence to Chautala during the pendency of his appeal against the conviction in the DA case.
During the INLD government in 2002, Chautala-led dispensation came under fire from various quarters when nine farmers died in police firing on agitating farmers at Kandela village in Jind district.
In the full-fledged term as chief minister, Chautala's "Sarkar Aapke Dwar" programme was a major initiative of the INLD government. The chief minister visited every village, asking people about their needs and taking decisions on the spot while acting on their demands.
At the ripe old age of 82, Chautala passed his higher secondary examination in the first division, while serving out a 10-year sentence in the Tihar Jail.
The Haryana Government declared a three-day state mourning from Friday as a mark of respect to former CM Chautala. "The State Government has decided to observe a three-day state mourning that is December 20-22. During this period, the national flag will fly at half-mast throughout the state on all buildings where it is flown regularly. All state government functions stood cancelled and there would be no official entertainment during this period," an order issued by the Haryana chief secretary's office said.
The Haryana Government has also declared Saturday as a public holiday in all state government offices as a mark of respect to the departed soul. Chautala will be accorded a state funeral at 3 pm at Teja Khera farm in Sirsa.
Tributes pour in for Ex-Hry CM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences following the passing of former Haryana CM. Taking to X, the Prime Minister wrote, “I am deeply saddened by the demise of Chautala ji. He was active in state politics for many years and constantly tried to carry forward the work of Chaudhary Devi Lal ji. My deepest condolences to his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”
Expressing his deepest condolences, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that Om Prakash Chautala made a significant contribution to the service of Haryana and the country.
Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya expressed profound sorrow and grief over the demise of Chautala. In his condolence message, Dattatraya described Chautala as a seasoned politician and a visionary leader who dedicated his life to the service of the people of Haryana.
“Chautala ji’s contributions to the development of Haryana and his commitment to the welfare of its people particularly "Kisan" will always be remembered. His demise is a great loss to the state and its people,” said Dattatraya.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini expressed deep sorrow and grief over the sad demise of former CM Chautala. With Chautala's passing, a significant chapter in Haryana's political history has come to a close, and it is hard to fill the void left by his departure. His immense contribution to Haryana's political landscape will always be remembered. The Chief Minister further said that Chautala's personality was a reflection of simplicity and resilience. He was a visionary leader who initiated numerous schemes for rural development, education, and infrastructure improvement. His passing has left not just his family, but the entire state in deep sorrow. The Chief Minister offered his prayers to the Almighty, asking for peace for the departed soul and strength and patience for his grieving family.
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed deep grief over the demise of Chautala. Paying tribute to the departed soul, Hooda said he had strong relations both in family and political sphere with the Chautala family. His sudden demise is extremely sad.
