Om Prakash Chautala Death: Haryana To Observe 3-Day State Mourning, State Funeral Tomorrow As Tributes Pour In

Chandigarh, Dec 20 (PTI) The Haryana government declared a three-day state mourning from Friday as a mark of respect to former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala who passed away in Gurugram.
”The state government has decided to observe a three-day state mourning… that is December 20-22 . During this period, the national flag will fly at half-mast throughout the state on all buildings where it is flown regularly,” an order issued by Haryana chief secretary’s office said.
It said all state government functions stand cancelled and there will no official entertainment during this period.
The Haryana government has also declared Saturday as a public holiday in all state government offices as a mark of respect to the departed soul, read the order.
Chautala will be accorded a state funeral at 3 pm on Saturday at Teja Khera farm in Chautala family’s native Sirsa district.
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and five-time Haryana chief minister Chautala died in Gurugram on Friday at the age of 89.
Chautala, who was former deputy prime minister Devi Lal’s son, suffered a cardiac arrest at his house here and was immediately rushed to a hospital but could not be saved, a party spokesperson told PTI.
He breathed his last around noon in Medanta hospital, a senior police officer said. 
<h3>Former Haryana CM and Jat stalwart OP Chautala dies at 89, tributes pour in</h3>
Om Prakash Chautala, a prominent Jat leader and former Haryana chief minister whose career was marked by dizzying highs and rockbottom lows, including stints in jail, died on Friday. He was 89.
He is survived by two sons and three daughters. His wife Sneh Lata passed away over five years ago.
An Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) spokesperson said Chautala had hiccups in the morning and collapsed in his house. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
The eldest son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, the five-time chief minister headed the INLD, founded by his father.
Tributes for Chautala poured in from across the political spectrum, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing anguish at his passing and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal describing it as a “huge personal loss”.
”The news of the demise of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala is sad. In his decades-long public life, he played an important role in Haryana politics. I offer my condolences to his family and supporters,” the official X handle of the President’s Office quoted President <a title=”Droupadi Murmu” href=”https://news.abplive.com/topic/droupadi-murmu” data-type=”interlinkingkeywords”>Droupadi Murmu</a> as saying.
Modi said on X, “He (Chautala) was active in the state politics for many years and strove constantly to advance the work of Devi Lal.” Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini termed the INLD supremo’s passing “extremely sad”.
”My humble tribute to him. He served the state and society throughout his life. This is an irreparable loss for the politics of the country and Haryana state,” he said on X.
The Haryana government declared a three-day state mourning from Friday. It has also declared Saturday a public holiday.
Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar will attend Chautala’s last rites.
Dhankhar said he had had cordial relations with the Chautala family for decades.
”As a visionary politician, he always gave top priority to rural development and agricultural prosperity. His unforgettable contribution to the overall development of Haryana and strengthening Indian democracy will always remain a source of inspiration,” a post on X from the Vice-President’s Office quoted him as saying.
Former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda recalled that he was the opposition leader when Chautala was chief minister.
Chautala served the people of the state. There are many good memories with him, Hooda said, adding that he was like an elder brother to him.
Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kumari Selja also condoled his passing.
Chautala’s state funeral will be held at 3 pm on Saturday at his Teja Khera farm.
Although Chautala — born into an influential political family on January 1, 1935, in Chautala village — could never match the stature of his father who was known as a messiah of farmers, he was known for his sharp political acumen and wit despite not being well-educated.
He served as Haryana chief minister five times but it was only between 1999 and 2005 that he enjoyed a full term.
The seven-time MLA became chief minister for the first time when Devi Lal became deputy prime minister in the Janata Dal government in 1989.
He was first elected to the assembly in 1970.
Chautala also had his fair share of controversies.
In 1990, as widespread violence spread in the Meham assembly seat, the opposition accused Chautala of trying to force his victory there. The episode became infamous in Haryana’s politics as “Meham Kand”.
His INLD government also came under criticism in 2002 when nine farmers died in police firing.
He was sent to jail in 2013 in connection with a teacher recruitment scam.
Chautala and his son Ajay Singh Chautala were among those convicted and sentenced in connection with the illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in 2000, when the INLD was in power.
Serving his 10-year prison term, Chautala was released from Delhi’s Tihar jail in July 2021. He was already out on parole at the time.
According to an INLD statement, Chautala passed his Class 10 and Class 12 exams while in jail. He was 82 when he scored first division marks in his Class 12 exam. His clearing of the Class 10 exam was an inspiration for the Bollywood film “Dasvi”.
He was sent to Tihar jail again in May 2022 after being awarded a four-year sentence in a disproportionate assets case. At 87, he became its oldest inmate.
In August 2002, Delhi High Court suspended the sentence.
During his only full term as chief minister, Chautala visited villages, asking people about their needs and taking decisions on the spot.
Despite these efforts, the INLD’s fortunes waned and it has not come close to assuming power since 2005.
In December 2018, his elder son Ajay Singh Chautala floated the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) after a vertical split in the INLD. The JJP extended support to the BJP in 2019 when the saffron outfit fell short of a majority in the assembly polls.
Chautala’s younger son Abhay Singh Chautala is a senior INLD leader. Abhay Singh Chautala’s son Arjun Chautala is a Haryana MLA, while Ajay Singh Chautala’s sons Dushyant and Digvijay are JJP leaders. Dushyant Chautala also served as deputy chief minister in the Manohar Lal Khattar government.
Ajay Singh Chautala’s wife Naina SIngh Chautala had a term as a JJP MLA.
During his political career, Chautala raised his voice against the “anti-people policies” of ruling governments and went to jail several times. He also spent 19 months in jail during the Emergency, the INLD said.
In the past few years, Chautala made efforts to form a third front, meeting his old associates Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. The efforts, however, did not yield a result.
The INLD also called Chautala, who served as leader of opposition in the Haryana Assembly for eight years, a widely-travelled person.
The senior politician’s death led to several leaders from across the political divide expressing grief.
National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah recalled his immense contributions to public service and pivotal role in Indian politics. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also expressed his grief at Chautala’s death.
The Badal family, which shared a strong bond with the Chautalas, expressed its deep sorrow.
The Chautalas and the Badals, two prominent political families in Haryana and Punjab, respectively, have long-standing ties.
SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “Deeply saddened by the passing away of veteran leader and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala ji.” He said Chautala’s passing at a time when farmers were engaged in a fight for justice and survival was a huge loss to society in general and the farmers and the downtrodden in particular.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)