Om Prakash Chautala, former chief minister of Haryana died

Former Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Om Prakash Chautala passed away on Friday, December 20, in Gurugram after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 89 years old. A party spokesperson confirmed the news, stating that Chautala died at a hospital in Gurugram.

Om Prakash Chautala was last seen in public during the Haryana Assembly election voting on October 5 this year. He had cast his vote at a polling booth in his hometown, Chautala village, in Sirsa.

Political Legacy

Om Prakash Chautala was the son of Chaudhary Devi Lal, the former Deputy Prime Minister of India, and was born in a small village close to Sirsa, Haryana. Devi Lal was instrumental in the formation of Haryana in 1966 and went on to become the chief minister of the state.

Om Prakash Chautala followed in his father’s footsteps, joining politics and being elected to the Haryana Legislative Assembly in 1970. Over his political career, he served as Haryana’s Chief Minister four times: December 1989–May 1990, July 1990–July 1990, March 1991–April 1991, and July 1999–March 2005.

Chautala founded the INLD party in 1996, which he led until his passing.

Legal Troubles

In 2022, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court sentenced Om Prakash Chautala to four years in prison in a disproportionate assets case. At the time, he became the oldest prisoner in Delhi’s Tihar Jail at 87. He was released on medical grounds in 2020.

Family

Om Prakash Chautala’s wife, Sneh Lata, passed away in 2019. He is survived by his three daughters and two sons, Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala. Abhay Singh is an MLA from Ellenabad and has served as Leader of Opposition in Haryana.

His grandson, Dushyant Chautala, leads the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and is Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister.

Early Controversies

Om Prakash Chautala’s early political career included controversies, such as being detained in 1978 for carrying undeclared wristwatches into the country. He also faced accusations of involvement in a political opponent’s killing in 1990. Despite setbacks, he rebuilt his political career, organizing anti-corruption protests and supporting his father’s campaigns.

Chautala’s death marks the end of an era in Haryana politics. Leaders from across the political spectrum have expressed their condolences.