Devi Lal in three acts, by the family’s three factions

Meanwhile, his great-grandson and Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, 35, of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) will hold a rally in Sikar of Rajasthan, in an ongoing attempt to spread his wings in the neighbouring state. Keeping in view the significant presence of Jat voters in the area, the JJP is planning to contest the Rajasthan Assembly polls, which are due later this year. In the 1989 Lok Sabha polls, Devi Lal had defeated Congress stalwart Balram Jakhar from Sikar on a Janata Dal ticket, besides winning the Rohtak seat in Haryana.

That same day, Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, 78, Devi Lal’s third son, will be hosting followers of the former deputy PM for lunch in Sirsa. Ranjit also plans to hold a rally in Devi Lal’s memory at Hisar in February 2024, where senior BJP leaders would be invited. Having won the 2019 Assembly election from Rania as an Independent, he is reportedly keen to contest the Assembly or Lok Sabha polls in 2024 on the saffron party’s ticket.

The events speak about the continuing relevance of Devi Lal in the politics of the region. “People of north India still remember Devi Lal because of his simplicity,” says former Haryana minister Sampat Singh. Sampat, 74, remained closely associated with Lal for over three decades, after he was appointed Lal’s political secretary in 1977 when he was the state’s chief minister. He adds: “Devi Lal brought politics to the masses in rural areas and small towns. He even used to land his helicopter on agricultural fields.”

Devi Lal’s popularity was at its peak in 1987, when he, along with his allies, had won 85 out of 90 Vidhan Sabha seats in Haryana. He remained deputy prime minister between 1989 and 1991 in successive governments headed by V P Singh and Chandra Shekhar.

His followers recall him for introducing old age pension, tax waivers on tractors, cycles and radios, farm loan waivers of up to Rs 10,000, subsidised travel for students in government buses, concessional electricity to farmers for tubewells, and share in the profits from road-side trees for owners of adjoining farms.

Ranjit, who was a minister in Devi Lal’s cabinet in 1987, says: “Old age pension became a model for the country after Chaudhary Devi Lal introduced it in Haryana in 1987. He also started compensating farmers in lieu of damages to their crops because of hailstorms.”

Crediting his father for the creation of Haryana, Ranjit says the latter fought for a separate state by launching strong movements in both the states, and for emerging as an Opposition pivot in 1989 to beat the Congress.

Sampat Singh, who is now in the Congress, says, “Devi Lal has bigger relevance now, as there is no leader today of his stature who can fight for the cause of farmers. Had Devi Lal been alive today, he would have launched a big movement against the current government, as he had the capacity to pull huge crowds,” says Sampat, a former college lecturer who was introduced to politics by Devi Lal.

The six-time MLA is against the idea of parallel political events by the Chautala family members. He calls it an attempt to “cash the occasion for political gains”.

Ranjit, though, doesn’t see anything wrong in the events themselves. “It’s good that the birth anniversary of a great leader is being celebrated by all, in their own ways. I too had plans to hold a mega rally this month, but it could not be finalised as top BJP leaders are currently campaigning for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. So it will be held in February next year.”