Ye dosti: The enduring friendship of the Chautalas and Badals

In September 2022, Om Prakash Chautala held a rally in Fatehabad, which was attended by SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal alongside other prominent opposition figures. Mourning Chautala’s passing on Friday, Sukhbir said: “All his life, he championed the cause of farmers and the poor. His passing is a huge loss to society, particularly to farmers and the downtrodden. On a personal level, it is an immense loss for me and my family. I will always miss his warm and guiding hand.”

When Parkash Singh Badal passed away in 2023, Om Prakash Chautala’s grandson and Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala referred to him as the “head of the family.”

In 2014, Parkash Singh Badal’s presence at an INLD rally in Hisar was seen as a significant factor in Dushyant’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Despite the SAD’s alliance with the BJP in Punjab, Badal attended the rally even though the BJP was supporting its partner Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Haryana Janhit Congress. Badal’s presence gave the impression that the INLD might ally with the BJP after the elections, which played to Dushyant’s advantage.

Dushyant Chautala had earlier told The Indian Express that the two families had stood by each other for decades, even during the Emergency when Devi Lal and Parkash Singh Badal were imprisoned for 19 months. (Photo: Special Arrangement)

Dushyant Chautala had earlier told The Indian Express that the two families had stood by each other for decades, even during the Emergency when Devi Lal and Parkash Singh Badal were imprisoned for 19 months. Devi Lal’s grandson, Aditya Devi Lal, recalled how the 1974 Rori by-election in Haryana cemented the bond between the two families.

Aditya shared how Badal’s younger brother, Gurdas Singh Badal, persuaded Devi Lal to contest the bypoll. “At that time, Devi Lal had left the Congress and was disillusioned with politics. He had turned to farming and was reluctant to contest. Badal sahab sent his brother Gurdas to meet him, but Devi Lal ji said, ‘Today’s politics requires money, and I don’t have enough.’ Eventually, Parkash Singh Badal personally came to convince him, even offering an Ambassador car and some financial support,” Aditya recalled.

In that election, Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal fielded a relative against Devi Lal, and even Prime Minister Indira Gandhi campaigned for him. However, with Badal’s wholehearted support, Devi Lal emerged victorious, winning by 16,500 votes in a constituency with just 65,000 votes.

Om Prakash Chautala and his father Devi Lal enjoyed immense support in Haryana, although their roots trace back to Rajasthan’s Bikaner region. Devi Lal’s great-grandfather Tejaram moved to Teja Khera village in Haryana in the 19th century. Later, Devi Lal’s father Lekhram settled in the neighbouring village of Chautala in 1919. Devi Lal’s elder brother, Sahib Ram, was elected as an MLA in 1938 on a Congress ticket.

Devi Lal also trained as a wrestler at an akhara near the Badal family’s native village in Punjab. He became an MLA in 1952, left the Congress in 1971, and served as Haryana’s Chief Minister twice—in 1977 and 1987—before becoming Deputy Prime Minister in 1989. His son Om Prakash Chautala served as Haryana’s Chief Minister five times, with his longest tenure spanning from 1999 to 2005.