The other Chautala: Eye on 2024, Ranjit says will do politics of future with BJP

Ranjit, son of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal and younger brother of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, had never kept his liking for the BJP a secret. On Monday, he put a stamp on it by announcing that he “will do politics of future with the BJP”.

Keen to contest the 2024 Assembly polls as BJP nominee, the 77-year-old Ranjit told The Indian Express: “(Being an independent MLA), technically I can’t be a member of the BJP at this stage but there is no difference between me and the BJP. I will support the BJP without any condition, whether the party fields me in the election or not. I stand by the chief minister like a rock and will continue to be associated with the party in this way in future too.”

Ranjit had contested the 2019 Assembly election as an Independent candidate after allegedly being “ignored by the Congress because of internal politics despite his long association with the grand old party”. He had announced support to the BJP even when the counting of the votes was still on and it appeared that the saffron party BJP may fall short of majority mark in the 90-member Assembly.

BJP won 40 seats and formed the government by forging a post-poll alliance with the Jannayak Janata Party, formed by OP Chautala’s elder son Ajay Chautala — Ajay’s elder son Dushyant is deputy CM in the alliance government. Seven Independent MLAs, including Ranjit who won the polls by a margin of nearly 20,000 votes, extended support to the BJP-JJP government.

Now, having declared formal association with the saffron party, Ranjit says: “The BJP will rule the country at least for next 20 years. The people have preferred a national party instead of regional parties. They want a stable government and one-party rule. The regional parties like BSP in Uttar Pradesh, CPI(M) in West Bengal and Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab have almost lost their political relevance. Even countries like France and Germany have preferred one party rule instead of coalition governments”.

These days, Ranjit is busy mobilising people for a BJP rally in village Odhan of Sirsa district on May 29. “It will be the largest such event of Sirsa district,” he claims.

The rally coincides with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s rally in Kurukshetra on the same day. Commenting on Congress, Ranjit says: “It has turned into an old camel who is finding it difficult to get up. The Congress gave command to Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana too late. Had he been given command 10 years back, he could have delivered results. But now the entire environment is one-sided, in favour of the BJP.”

Ranjit had gained prominence in 1989 when he was considered a strong claimant for the post of CM in Haryana after his father Devi Lal had moved to Centre as deputy prime minister. “My father wanted to see me as the CM. However, because of the decision of the family, Om Prakash, being the eldest, was made the CM. That time Rajiv Gandhi and Bhajan Lal had offered me the post of CM if I joined Congress along with other MLAs. I refused because I had a lot of respect for my father,” says Ranjit.

Initially, he used to identify himself as Ranjit Singh, but lately he has been referred to by his surname like other members of the Devi Lal clan who hail from the Chautala village in Sirsa. Among four sons of Devi Lal, Ranjit was third. Among his brothers, only OP Chautala (87) is alive.