New Delhi: Former Haryana chief minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief, Om Prakash Chautala, passed away on Friday afternoon at his Gurugram residence. He was 89. He was the chief minister of Haryana for a record five times. Chautala was the son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal. According to reports, he would be cremated at Teja Khera in Sirsa district on Saturday afternoon.
His body will be kept there from 8 am to 2 pm for people to pay their respects. He first became the Haryana chief minister in 1989 and remained at the post for six months.
Two months later, he again took oath as chief minister. But had to resign in five days. His third term as CM was in 1991. It was cut short when President’s rule was imposed in the state. He went on to serve two consecutive terms between 1999 and 2005.
Holds the record of being oldest prisoner at Tihar
In 2013, Chautala and his son Ajay Singh Chautala were convicted in a graft case involving teacher recruitment scam. They were held guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 teachers in the state in 2000 and were sentenced to 10 year imprisonment.
But he was released prematurely after the Delhi government in 2021 passed an order that granted a six-month special remission to those who have served nine-and-half years of their 10-year jail term. In 2022, he was also awarded a four-year jail term in a disproportionate assets case. He thus became the oldest prisoner of Tihar jail at 87.
Controversies involving him
Chautala’s early political career were marred by controversies. In 1978, he was detained at the Delhi airport for bringing a large number of wristwatches into the country. This led to a fallout with his father. But he worked to rebuild his political image. He led the “Nyaya Yudh” campaign to support his father’s successful bid in the 1987 polls. He organized protests against corruption in the 1990s. However, in 1990, he faced allegations of being involved in the murder of a political opponent.
