Three Lal clans battle it out with Hooda family

Haryana’s political history,in many ways,has revolved around the three famous Lal clans — the families of Devi Lal,Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal. Now,another family that has almost overshadowed the Lals’ horizon is Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s clan. The CM’s son,Deepender Hooda,is the fourth generation politician of his family. The CM’s grandfather was a minister and so was his father in undivided Punjab. And with each passing day,the Hooda family is emerging stronger. All these four clans have yet again geared up for a battle to maintain their filial legacy as the state heads for a fierce electoral contest featuring third and fourth generation politicians.

One of the three Lals,Bansi Lal’s legacy is disputed within his family as his daughter-in-law Kiran Choudhry has challenged all other family members and declared herself as his ‘real’ heir. Though his son and former BCCI president Ranbir Mahindra is active in politics and is contesting from Badhra after displacing Hooda’s protege Dharambir,it is Kiran who has been identified with Bansi Lal’s legacy as her late husband and Bansi Lal’s younger son,Surender Singh,had been anointed the political heir by Lal himself. Singh died in a helicopter crash a few days after he joined the Hooda Government as a minister and Kiran won from Tosham,in the family’s stronghold Bhiwani,by a record margin of more than 1.25 lakh votes. Thanks to Kiran’s efforts,her daughter Shruti has been formally launched in politics from Bhiwani,thus making way for the third generation of Bansi Lal’s clan.

The other two Lal families are passing through a difficult phase ever since Hooda has taken over the state. Hooda snatched power from the second generation leader of Devi Lal’s clan,Om Prakash Chautala. Hoping to repeat the Lok Sabha election performance,Hooda has posed a serious danger for this particular clan,as their party,the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD),was reduced to a mere single digit number in the last Assembly election and failed to open its account in the last LS election. Chautala has passed on the mantle to his elder son Ajay Singh Chautala.

Hooda may also be credited with causing the fall of the third Lal,Bhajan Lal. He actually thwarted two in one go: pushed Chautala out of power and then his own colleague Bhajan out of the reckoning. Bhajan’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi who formed the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) is striving to maintain his father’s legacy,but the success of his effort remains to be judged.