Chandigarh, Dec 20 (PTI) The Badal family, which shared a strong bond with the Chautalas, is deeply saddened over the demise of former Haryana chief minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Prakash Chautala.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal dubbed Chautala's death as a huge personal loss to him.
INLD president and five-time Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala died in Gurugram on Friday at the age of 89.
The Chautalas and the Badals, two prominent political families in Haryana and Punjab respectively, have long-standing ties.
Five-time Punjab chief minister late Parkash Singh Badal, who died last year, was a close friend of former deputy prime minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, popularly known as "Tau" Devi Lal.
The bond between the two families grew stronger after INLD founder Devi Lal's death in 2001. Parkash Singh Badal maintained close ties with Om Prakash Chautala, his sons Ajay Chautala and Abhay Chautala, and their families.
Following the death of Om Prakash Chautala, Sukhbir Badal said, "Deeply saddened by the passing away of veteran leader and former Haryana CM Shri Om Prakash Chautala ji. All his life, he championed the cause of farmers and the poor."
He said the passing away of Chautala, at a time when farmers are engaged in a fight for justice and survival, is a huge loss to the society in general and farmers and downtrodden people in particular. "His passing away is also a huge personal loss to me and my family," Sukhbir said.
"I will always miss his warm and guiding hand. I share the deep sense of loss that common people and his family must be passing through at this hour," the SAD leader said.
Over the years, the Badals and the Chautalas have stood behind each other in times of joy and grief. They attend ceremonies and mournings in each other's families.
After the INLD split and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) was floated by Chautala's son Ajay Singh and grandson Dushyant in 2018, former chief minister Badal had made an emotional appeal to unite.
Following the death of Devi Lal in 2001, Parkash Singh Badal had installed a lifesize statue of the former deputy prime minister in the village of Killianwali on the Punjab-Haryana border.
In December 2023, Dushyant Chautala, the then Haryana deputy chief minister, installed Badal's lifesize statue alongside that of Devi Lal and had then said Badal "symbolises the brotherhood between Haryana and Punjab".
Akali stalwart and five-time Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal died in April 2023.
Sukhbir Badal in May had accompanied Abhay Chautala when the latter filed nomination papers from the Kurukshetra seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Abhay had unsuccessfully contested the seat.
Sukhbir had then said the INLD and the SAD were not only political allies but they also represented the "sanjh" (bond) between the people of Punjab and Haryana.