Om Prakash Chautala, five-time Haryana Chief Minister, and INLD leader, died on Friday at 89 after a cardiac arrest. He passed away at his Gurugram residence. Chautala, the son of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, is survived by his sons Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala.
Born on January 1, 1935, in Sirsa’s Chautala village, he first became Chief Minister on December 2, 1989. Over the years, he held the position five times, significantly influencing Haryana’s political landscape.
Meanwhile, Chautala had been under treatment at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital for the past few years. On Friday, his health suddenly deteriorated, and doctors pronounced him dead at noon after a cardiac arrest.
Leaders across the political spectrum, including Prime Minister Modi, Nayab Singh Saini, and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, expressed condolences.
हरियाणा के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री ओम प्रकाश चौटाला जी के निधन से अत्यंत दुख हुआ है। प्रदेश की राजनीति में वे वर्षों तक सक्रिय रहे और चौधरी देवीलाल जी के कार्यों को आगे बढ़ाने का निरंतर प्रयास किया। शोक की इस घड़ी में उनके परिजनों और समर्थकों के प्रति मेरी गहरी संवेदनाएं। ॐ शांति। pic.twitter.com/QXh74przOI
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 20, 2024
Conviction in Corruption Case
Notably, in 2013, a CBI court sentenced Chautala and his son Ajay to 10 years in prison for corruption. They were found guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 teachers in Haryana in 2000. Subsequently, a special CBI court convicted them on January 16, 2013.
In 2021, Chautala received an early release after serving nine years and nine months of his sentence. The Delhi government granted him remission under special provisions.
Furthermore, Abhay Singh Chautala has served as Leader of the Opposition in Haryana’s Assembly. His great-grandson, Dushyant Chautala, was Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP-led government.
With Chautala’s death, Haryana has lost a towering political figure who left behind a mixed legacy of achievements and controversies.
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