Vivek Gupta 
Chandigarh: Veteran Haryana politician Om Prakash Chautala – who served the state as chief minister for five terms – breathed his last today, December 20, after a cardiac arrest. He was 89.
A former member of the V.P. Singh-led Janata Dal, Chautala later founded his own regional party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). He was considered a mass leader, and enjoyed huge popularity among the state’s Jat population especially in the rural areas of central and western Haryana, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind and Hisar.
First elected to Haryana’s legislative assembly in 1970, he learnt the nitty-gritty of politics from his father Chaudhary Devi Lal, who was considered one of the architects in the creation of Haryana in 1966.
Devi Lal served as state chief minister and later played a key role in uniting and forming the country’s second non-Congress government in 1989, under the banner of the Janata Dal.
Just like his father, Chautala remained opposed to Congress’s then centrist politics, emerging as a significant voice for regionalism, farmers’ rights and rural development
As a result of his politics, he did not just amass a formidable non-Congress regional political front (INLD) in Haryana but nurtured it well enough for it to be reckoned with for years afterwards.
A political analyst from Chandigarh, Ashutosh Kumar, told The Wire that Chautala was viewed as a grassroots leader, tough administrator and yet, a large-hearted politician.
He was well aware of the state’s political nerve and remained connected to people especially in the rural areas late into his old age, he added.
Chautala first became Haryana chief minister in December, 1989, replacing his father who had been appointed as the deputy PM of India.
However, he was unable to secure a seat in the state assembly within the required six months and had to step down in May 1990.
He later won a by-election and briefly served as chief minister again on two occasions in 1990-91 before Congress’s return to power after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
With Congress’s popularity diminishing both in the state and nationally, Chautala saw an opportunity to fill the political vacuum by founding INLD in 1996 and stayed in power for six years between 1999-2005.
Also read: The Perfect Timing of O.P. Chautala’s Release from Prison as Farmers’ Agitation Gains Steam
Scandals
Post 2005, there was a shift in Haryana politics with the rise of another Jat leader, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in Congress, who then went on to serve the state consecutively for two terms between 2005 and 2015.
It was during Congress rule that allegations began emerging against Chautala for irregularities and corrupt practices in the teachers’ selection process during his regime. This led to major trouble for him and his family. In 2013, he and his son Ajay Chautala were convicted on various charges, including cheating and forgery, receiving 10-year prison sentences.
Despite appeals, their convictions were upheld by both the Delhi high court and the Supreme Court in 2015.
Chautala was released from the Tihar Jail in 2021 and was again convicted in 2022 by a special CBI court in a disproportionate assets case.
Political analyst Kushal Pal told The Wire that in the list of chief ministers of India who have been convicted, Chautala has probably served the longest sentence. Pal said Chautala’s history can be divided into two – his contributions and his corruption scandals.
While there is no doubt that Chautala had pan-state appeal, forged an idea of regionalism in national politics and even speeded up the infrastructure development of the state, it is equally true that the corruption scandal during his regime strained his political journey.
According to Pal, Chautala literally ran an authoritarian government between 2000 and 2005, with power largely concentrated within his family.
This, later, proved costly for the family as well as the party, which could not recoup from the perception that the earlier regime was corrupt, he added.
With the Narendra Modi government in power and Chautala serving jail sentences between 2013 and 2021, the party’s fortunes further dwindled. Later, there was a feud in the Chautala family, marking a further division in the INLD and its resultant weakening.
Also read: Countdown to Change? Shift in Haryana’s Political Landscape as Voters Prepare to Decide
Pal added that the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) that Chautala’s younger son Ajay started with his two sons, Dushyant and Digvijay, was once perceived as the vehicle that would carry forward the family legacy. But both INLD and JJP failed to make any big gains in the recently concluded state elections.
Condolences
Leaders across the political spectrum wrote messages on the death of Chautala. Prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and said on X, “He (Chautala) was active in the state politics for many years and strove constantly to advance the work of Devi Lal”.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini called it an “irreparable loss to politics”.
“Om Prakash Chautala ji’s demise is extremely sad. My humble tribute to him. He served the state and society throughout his life. This is an irreparable loss for the politics of the country and Haryana. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give a place to the departed soul in his lotus feet and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this sorrow,” he wrote on X.
Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda called it a personal loss. “Haryana state and I personally have suffered a big setback by his demise. We had family relations. He served Haryana as an MLA, MP and CM. This is very sad news. I pray to God that his soul may rest in peace,” he remarked.