Om Prakash Chautala, former Haryana chief minister, dies at 89
Chautala, the son of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, served as the chief minister five times.
Om Prakash Chautala, the former chief minister of Haryana and the chief of the Indian National Lok Dal, died at his Gurugram residence on Friday. He was 89.
Party spokesperson Rakesh Sihag said that Om Prakash Chautala had suffered a cardiac arrest, reported The Indian Express.
Om Prakash Chautala, the son of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, served as the chief minister of Haryana five times between the late 1980s and 2005.
He will be cremated at Teja Khera in Sirsa district on Saturday afternoon, the newspaper quoted his family as saying.
The Indian National Lok Dal chief is survived by his sons Ajay Singh Chautala and Abhay Singh Chautala, and three daughters.
His grandson Dushyant Chautala, who broke away from the Indian National Lok Dal to form the Jannayak Janta Party, was the deputy chief minister of the state between 2019 and March.
In 2013, Om Prakash Chautala was convicted for corruption related to a recruitment case and sentenced to 10 years in prison. His elder son, Ajay Chautala, was also among the 55 people convicted in the case.
The conviction severely impacted Om Prakash Chautala’s political career as it barred him from contesting elections. He was released from jail in July 2021.
In May 2022, Om Prakash Chautala was sentenced to four years in prison in a disproportionate assets case by a Delhi court. The Delhi High Court suspended the sentence during the pendency of his appeal against the conviction.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was saddened by the demise of Om Prakash Chautala. “He was active in state politics for many years and constantly tried to carry forward the work of Chaudhary Devi Lal ji,” Modi wrote on social media.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed sadness about Om Prakash Chautala’s death. “I pay my humble tribute to him and express my deepest condolences to his family and supporters,” Gandhi said.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini said that Om Prakash Chautala had served the state and society throughout his life. “This is an irreparable loss for the politics of the country and Haryana state,” he said.