Devi Lal sons pitted against each other in Sirsa battle

This afternoon, amidst much aplomb and show of strength, his younger brother Ranjit Singh followed suit, but as the Congress candidate. The day began with a joint rally at the local grain market, with other Congress candidates K.V. Singh and Lachhman Das Arora from the Sirsa and Darba constituencies present to lend support.

8220;Chaudhary Devi Lal had vowed never to let his sons contest against each other,8221; a young man tells his peers in the gathering.

8220;Chaudhary Sahib is the only man who can defeat Chautala,8221; says Ranvir Singh Godikan, a party worker, who changed his party withSingh. 8220;He has been the Agriculture and Law minister from this constituency and he has the people8217;s support,8221; Godikan says.

Ranjit Singh speaking to the The Indian Express, says: 8220;I8217;ve come back to politics after eight years and I8217;ll defeat Chautala,8221; he says confidently, pausing to accept a garland of 10-rupee notes from a village sarpanch.

Singh is silent over his father8217;s reaction to the brothers contesting against each other. 8220;I haven8217;t met him since I got the ticket,8221; he says sheepishly but quickly regains his confidence: 8220;It is Chautala who is fighting in my constituency. The party high-command has decided my ticket and I will not go back on it.8221;

Singh rises to address the gathering and applause follows. He shouts from a the dias:8220;We have begun the campaign today and within a week we will uproot the INLD.8221; 8220;I belong to Devi Lal8217;s school of politics, and that is the politics of opposition. You will see that Chautala will leave politics after Feb 25, when the votes are counted,8221; heshouts and the crowd claps, waves.8220;But Devi Lal8217;s blessings are with Chautala and he8217;s already the C.M. It is not as easy as he is making out to be,8221; a local journalist lectures a few others near the dais. Is Ranjit Singh listening?