Chacha, don’t preach: Naina-Sunaina tell Ranjit Chautala to retire

Tribune News Service

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, May 24

With the two Chautala bahus and their chacha sasur (father-in-law) in fray, it turns out to be a TV soap opera in Hisar Lok Sabha constituency.

The three Chautala family clan — Ranjit Singh (son of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal) is a BJP candidate while Chautala bahus — Naina Chautala (wife of Ajay Chautala, grandson of Devi Lal) is in the fray as the JJP candidate while Sunaina Chautala (wife of Ravi Chautala, another grandson of Devi Lal) is the INLD candidate.

While bahus urge their sasur, Ranjit Singh, to retire from public life as he has crossed 75 years (he is 79), Singh retorted that they (Naina and Sunaina) are like my children and they should have been proud of the fact that he had been active at this age.

During an interaction with The Tribune, Naina Chautala, who is badi bahu (elder to Sunaina) said, “Vo 75 saal ke ho gaye. Gadiya bhi 10 saal ke baad gharon me khadi ho jati hai. Chacha ji ko bhi election nahi ladna chahiye tha. Ab lad rahe hai to theek hai. (Chacha ji has crossed 75 and he should get retirement from politics. People retire vehicles after 10 years. Chacha ji should not contest the election but now since he has joined the fray, it’s okay,” she said.

No age limit in politics

Both of them are like my children. They should be proud of the fact that I am still active at this age. There is no age limit in politics and I feel I have enough zeal and enthusiasm to work for the betterment of the people in the state. Ranjit Singh, BJP candidate from Hisar

Chhoti bahu Sunaina Chautala too said there should be an age limit on contesting elections. “I will not make any comment on Ranjit Singh. He is our elder. But today’s youth want that a person of contemporary generation should represent them,” she said.

Responding to the retirement jibe, Singh stated, “Both of them are like my children. And they should be proud of the fact that I am still active at this age. There is no age limit in politics and I feel I have enough of zeal and enthusiasm for catering to political service remaining in me,” he said.

The political legacy of Devi Lal is also a hot topic among three of them. In fact, among all four main candidates as Congress nominee Jai Prakash also debuted in politics as Devi Lal’s protégé in 1989.

Ranjit Singh, who also served as minister in Haryana under the chief ministership of Devi Lal in 1987, claimed he has remained stuck to the political values of his father.

Naina, however, countered that chacha ji had joined the Congress when Devi Lal was alive. “How can he claim his legacy as he has been in the Congress during most of his political career and joined the BJP just before this election?” She claimed that her husband Ajay Singh Chautala was the most-loved grandson of Devi Lal ji. Though, she claimed all four main contestants, including Jai Prakash of the Congress, are pupils of the Devi Lal school of politics. It will take a lot of sacrifice and value system for any of them to claim the political legacy of Devi Lal. “I found a dim reflection of grandfather in Dushyant though,” she said while claiming that Dushyant holds the legacy of Devi Lal.

On the other hand, Sunaina, when asked about the claim of Naina that she would enter Parliament after winning the elections, took a potshot at her. “First, she should think about entering the villages where people are not even letting them enter to seek votes. She claimed that the INLD is the original brand of Devi Lal. “No other party or leader who are not part of the INLD can claim the legacy of Devi Lal. The INLD was founded by Devi Lal and we are still keeping his political values and tradition alive,” she claimed.

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