Page 38 - 15FEB2019E
P. 38
• Family politics Ajay Chautala has called
his brother Abhay Chautala as Duryodhan
Infightings in retaining hold over family property.
Interestingly, Haryana is a land where
the battle of Mahabharata was fought
between Pandvas and Kaurvas for
Haryana’s political retaining power. Infighting between
Devi Lal clan had started in 1987 when
Om Parkash Chautala and his younger
brother Ranjit Singh Chautala fought to
families refuse be the political heir of their father Devi
Lal, who was chief minister of Haryana
at that point of time. Om Parkash Chau-
tala had emerged the winner and he
to die down was made chief minister when Devi Lal
was appointed Deputy Prime Minister
in VP Singh-led Janata Dal government
with Rajnit Singh Chautala leaving his
supporters in lurch.
Infighting between Rajnit Singh
Rift among kin of Haryana’s ate Partap Singh Chautala, Chautala and Om Parkash Chautala
estranged son of former
late chief minister Devi Lal Haryana chief minister and was so fierce that after the violence in
for supremacy, which had former deputy prime minis- Meham Assembly by-elections from
begun three decades ago, L ter Devi Lal, used to say that where Om Parkash Chautala had con-
tested against Anand Singh Dhangi,
kingship knows no kinship. His obser-
has taken a full circle with vation made during political infight- candidate sponsored by Meham Cho-
each levelling allegations and ings between his two brothers Rajnit bisi Panchyat, four ministers of Om
Parkash Chautala’s cabinet, all hap-
Singh Chautala and Om Parkash Chau-
counter allegations of character tala for capturing legacy of their father pened to be supporters of Ranjit Singh
assassination against one Chaudhry Devi Lal when he was chief had resigned from their posts .
Devi Lal’s estranged son Partap
another. After the death of minister of Haryana in 1987 is now Singh Chautala was vocal critic of his
proving right with fierce political and
another former chief minister personal battle being fought between father at that point of time. However,
Bansi Lal, his family has also clans of Om Parkash Chautala. he was silenced by appointing him as
And this phenomena is not new as
chairman of a prestigious corporation,
been fighting for retaining earlier also political families of Hary- the fact which DeviLal has admitted in
hold on the ancestral ana’s stalwart Late Bansi Lal, former a press conference when he was asked
properties in public, chief minister and union defence min- as why he had appointed his son as
chairman.
ister, has also witnessed fierce battle
writes pawan kumar bansal for supremacy in full public view for It all started with Om Parkash Chau-
Tehelka / 15 february 2019 38 www.Tehelka.com
