Lals’ legacy fades as villagers reminisce lost glory
“Those days are gone,” is the shared sentiment in the ancestral villages of Haryana’s iconic political leaders —Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal, and Devi Lal —who ruled the state for nearly three decades. These villages, located in Fatehabad, Bhiwani, and Sirsa
Villages of icons
- Bhajan Lal: Mohammadpur Rohi, Fatehabad district
- Devi Lal: Chautala village, Sirsa
- Bansi Lal: Golagarh village, Bhiwani district
The ‘Lals’ in power
- Bansi Lal: 11 years, 8 months
- Bhajan Lal: 12 years
- Devi Lal: 4 years, 7 months
- OP Chautala : 6 years
districts, once flourished during the reigns of these leaders, but today, the situation has drastically changed. Villagers no longer expect the kin of these former Chief Ministers to rise to similar prominence in Haryana’s political arena.
Bhajan Lal, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Haryana with 12 years in power, hailed from Mohammadpur Rohi village in Fatehabad district. Surender Singh, a resident, nostalgically recalls the village’s VVIP status during Bhajan Lal’s tenure. “It’s no longer the same sentiment now,” said Singh. “Though we still support his family, our expectations have shifted.”
Singh also recalled how Bhajan Lal transformed the village by providing government jobs to almost every family. “Those jobs uplifted the entire village. We had a fully staffed Primary Health Centre (PHC) when other rural areas were relying on quacks for medical care. Our streets were paved, as good as city roads,” he reminisced.
In Chautala village, 50-year-old Sukhpal fondly remembered former CM and Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal. “I used to read the newspaper to him in the morning when he was here. He would walk through the streets and interact with villagers. He was instrumental in providing agricultural land to the landless and even paid the instalments for those who couldn’t afford it,” Sukhpal said. He added that ample government jobs were available to the educated youth during Devi Lal’s leadership and that of his son, Om Prakash Chautala. “But now, despite five MLAs from our village in the outgoing Assembly, nothing major has been done,” he lamented. Rakesh, another local, pointed out that the Community Health Centre (CHC), established during Devi Lal’s time, now has several vacant posts.
Sandeep Legha, former sarpanch of Golagarh village in Bhiwani district, reflected on the drastic changes since Bansi Lal’s era. “Many people in the village secured government jobs. Bansi Lal is remembered as a ‘Vikas Purush’ across the state,” Legha said. “He would visit the village on special occasions, but times have changed. Now, we vote to elect MLAs, not CMs,” he remarked.
