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Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala was cremated on Saturday with full state honours in Teja Khera village in his native Sirsa district. Chautala, who was a five-time chief minister, died in Gurugram on Friday. He was 89. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal reached Teja Khera to attend the last rites of the departed leader. Many Haryana ministers, state Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, former Union minister Venod Sharma, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, BJP's Manpreet Badal and Manjinder Singh Sirsa and several other leaders also reached Teja Khera to pay their last respects. Political leaders cutting across parties laid floral wreaths to pay their last respects to the departed leader. Earlier, Chautala's mortal remains were Saturday kept at the family's Teja Khera farmhouse here for people to pay their last respects to the departed Indian Nati
Om Prakash Chautala was a tall figure in Indian politics and a prominent leader of the Jat community, but his career was marked with controversies and jail term. Born on January 1, 1935, Chautala, a five-time Haryana chief minister, passed away in Gurugram on Friday at the age of 89. Born into an influential political family, Chautala was the eldest son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and headed the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), a party founded by his father. Chautala's father was a tall figure in Indian politics. Devi Lal had also served as chief minister of Haryana and was considered a messiah of farmers. Though Chautala could never match the stature his father enjoyed, he was known for his sharp political acumen and wit despite not being well-educated. Chautala served as chief minister of the state for five terms, though it was between 1999 and 2005 that he enjoyed a full term. In between, right from 1989 to July 1999, he served intermittent terms in office. When De