Revision as of 21:41, 19 May 2021

Family ties

2012-19

May 1, 2019: The Times of India

Family ties in Haryana: Politics, 2012-19.
From: May 1, 2019: The Times of India

Family ties run across Haryana rivalries

Chandigarh:

There’s a filial line running through Haryana’s political scene as several candidates and netas who find themselves in rival camps belong to the same families.

For instance, Congress veteran and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s son-in-law, Kunal Bhadoo, is a BJP leader in Punjab’s Abohar. Kunal’s mother, Vijay Laxmi Bhadoo, had contested the 2012 assembly elections as the saffron party’s nominee from Abohar in Punjab, but lost to Congress’ Sunil Jakhar.

Similarly, Union minister Birender Singh, a bitter rival of Hooda, is his maternal cousin. He openly revolted against Hooda when they were together in Congress and joined BJP just before the assembly elections in Haryana in August 2014.

BJP’s Sonipat leader Krishna Gahlaut, who is also chairperson of Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board, is the mother-in-law of senior Rajasthan Congress leader Jyoti Mirdha Gehlaut. Jyoti is married to Krishna’s son Narender, who is a senior executive at IndiaBulls. Jyoti is contesting the Lok Sabha election on a Congress ticket from the Nagaur seat in Rajasthan.

Jyoti’s sister Hemsweta Mirdha Hooda is married to Deepender Hooda, the son of former CM Bhupinder Hooda. So, there’s a family link between BJP’s Gahlaut and Hooda as well. Senior Haryana Congress member Captain Ajay Yadav’s son Chiranjeev Rao is married to Anushka, daughter of former Bihar CM and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav.

INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala might be criticising BJP on many platforms, but his brotherin-law Abhishek Matoria is a senior BJP leader in Rajasthan. He is a two-time MLA from the Nauhar assembly seat in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh’s brother Rao Yadavendra Singh is in Congress. The MP’s other brother, Rao Ajit Singh, was in INLD but he quit some time back.

Former deputy PM Devi Lal’s grandson Aditya Chautala is in BJP and the Haryana government recently appointed him chairperson of Haryana State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank.

Aditya is Devi Lal’s youngest son Jagdish Chautala’s son. Aditya had defeated INLD leader Abhay Chautala’s wife in the zila parishad polls held in January 2016.

Holy men’s clout

As in 2019

Sat Singh, Sep 30, 2019: The Times of India

The clout of holy men in Haryana politics, as in 2019
From: Sat Singh, Sep 30, 2019: The Times of India

Key Highlights

With the state assembly elections almost here, the focus is once again on deras dotting Haryana’s hinterland

Their ability to sway the political will of their followers has added to their lure to the leaders of all hues

Often donning saffron robes, these babas not only are sought after by the state politicians but also the national-level leaders

ROHTAK: Godmen and preachers have long had a say in the politics of India, and Haryana has been a prime example of it. Their ability to sway the political will of their followers has added to their lure to the leaders of all hues. The situation seems to have grown even more interesting in the past few years and with the state assembly elections almost here, the focus is once again on deras dotting Haryana’s hinterland.

Removal of some influential godmen like Satlok Ashram’s Rampal and Dera Sacha Sauda’s Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has only given more play to the remaining. Often donning saffron robes, these babas not only are sought after by the state politicians but also the national-level leaders.

TOI takes a look on some of the prominent preachers in Rohtak who were often seen rubbing shoulders with who’s who of politics, making them godly figure for politicians who want to secure a ticket or aspire to win elections.

Baba Balak Nath: Alwar MP Baba Balak Nath is also the chancellor of Baba Mast Nath University situated on Rohtak-Delhi road. The Mast Nath Dera situated between Rohtak and Jind has a large following in Nath community across the country. Often choppers big politicians of different parties land at the private university. Name of Balak Nath was doing rounds as probable BJP candidate for Rohtak Lok Sabha in May. Balak Nath comes from Yadav community. He also shares cordial relations with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda family.

Kali Dass Maharaj: Kali Dass Maharaj has his dera in Sampla of Rohtak district. He is said to have been surviving solely on coconut water. In 2017, Union home minister Amit Shah, then BJP chief, visited the dera during his three-day visit to Rohtak in 2017. From chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar to party working president J P Nadda, all have visited the dera, and Kali Dass is often seen in events organized under BJP banner. Those close to him boast of his “direct connection” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the past, he had even taken local BJP leaders for a photo-op with Modi. A woman MP who had left her shining career in bureaucracy believed to have got party ticket due this connections.

Baba Kapil Puri: He heads the dera called ‘GauKaran Dham’ in old Rohtak city and is revered by Punjabi community. Kapil Puri is considered close to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and is said to naturally lean towards the Congress. Like Balak Nath, his name was also doing rounds as a potential candidate party from Rohtak but as the Congress candidate. Due to his influence in Punjabi community, the Congress sees him as an answer to Haryana minister Manish Grover. Though the he denies having any interest in electoral politics, the preacher does boast that leaders from all parties come and bow before the dera. “I may not be interested in contesting but I can get ticket for anyone,” he has been heard saying. His presence at BJP events doesn’t surprise anyone either.

Baba Karan Puri: He also has clout on Punjabi community population based in Rohtak. His headquarters, called Balak Puri Dera’ is located near Double Fatak area. The dera remains abuzz with visits of BJP leaders and Karan Puri also freely obliges the saffron party by his presence in their events. Some Punjabis say that the community is divided between Kapil Puri and Karan Puri.

Mahant Satish Dass: Satish Dass joined incumbent BJP formally after ending his ties with the Indian National Lok Dal. He was even candidate of INLD from Meham constituency in the 2014 state assembly polls and finished third after the Congress and BJP candidates. He has his headquarters in Meham area of Rohtak district. He draws his strength from people of Meham villages coming to the dera for decades.

2014-19

Defections

Haryana, 2014-19: Political defections
From: Sep 22, 2019: The Times of India

'See graphic’:

Haryana, 2014-19: Political defections

2019

BJP’s Jind victory strengthens Khattar

Ajay Sura, BJP’s Jind win puts Khattar on front foot, Surjewala 3rd, February 1, 2019: The Times of India

BJP’s victory in the Jind assembly bypoll has come as a morale booster for the party ahead of Lok Sabha polls, validating the choice of Manohar Lal Khattar to lead the first-ever saffron government in Haryana.

BJP’s Krishan Midha defeated Digvijay Chautala, the rebel grandson of former CM O P Chautala who was in the fray on the platform of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), by nearly 13,000 votes. Congress’s Randeep Singh Surjewala, head of the party’s national media cell who has gained prominence under Rahul Gandhi, came a poor third and just managed to save his security deposit.

Chautala’s INLD suffered a bigger humiliation. Its candidate Umed Raghu polled a measly 3,454 votes.

The bypoll was held following the death of Midha’s father H C Midha, who had won it on an INLD ticket.