Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh/Gurugram, December 20-
The veteran INLD leader and former CM of Haryana, Om Prakash Chautala, died on Friday at the age of 89. He suffered cardiac arrest at his Gurugram residence and was soon rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Chautala, a towering figure in Haryana politics, served four terms as Chief Minister from December 1989, the last being from 1999 to 2005. A MLA, he held the distinction of being Haryana's longest-serving leaders.
A legacy of leadership
Born into a prominent political family in January 1935, the son of Chaudhary Devi Lal, two-time chief minister
of Haryana and India's sixth deputy prime minister, Chautala followed in his father's footsteps Chautala emerged as a top performer in Haryana politics. During his tenure, Chautala played a prominent role on the state and national stage. He was elected as a member of Rajya Sabha in 1987 and served till 1990.
While Chautala’s career was accomplished, it was also shrouded in controversy. In 2013, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the recruitment scam involving the recruitment of
junior primary teachers in Haryana in 1999–2000. He was discharged from Tihar jail in July 2021 after nine
and a half years. Chautala’s death marks the end of an era in Haryana’s political history.