Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala passes away at 89

Om Prakash Chautala (Image: X/@kharge)

Former Haryana chief minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo Om Prakash Chautala passed away at the age of 89.

He died in Gurugram at his home after cardiac arrest, PTI reported. Chautala was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

Chautala was a four-time chief minister of Haryana. He was the eldest son of former deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal.

Born into a Jat family in Haryana's Dabwali in Sirsa district, Chautala became chief minister for the first time on December 2, 1989.

He formed the Haryana Lok Dal (National) party after the Lok Sabha elections of 1996.  The party contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1998 along with the BSP and won five seats. The party got recognition after that and was renamed Indian National Lok Dal.

Chautala was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2013 for a scam related to the appointment of junior basic teachers in Haryana during 1999-2000. He was released from Tihar Jail in July 2021.

Tributes have started pouring in for the stalwart leader after his demise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Chautala was an active figure in the state politics and carried forward the work of his father. "I am deeply saddened by the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash 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," he wrote on X.

Haryana's current chief minister Nayab Singh Saini took to X and wrote, "The demise of INLD supremo and former chief minister of Haryana Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala ji 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 state..."

Expressing grief over the demise of INLD supremo, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Chautala "made a significant contribution to the service of Haryana and the country". "The news of the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister and senior leader Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala is sad," Kharge wrote. He further expressed deepest condolences to the INLD chief's family and supporters.

Former Haryana CM and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda referred to Chautala as his "elder brother" as he spoke of him. "When Om Prakash ji was the CM, I was the LoP. We had good relations. He served people. He was still active. It didn't feel that he would leave us so soon. He was a good person and like an older brother to me," Hooda said.