Chaudhary Devi Lal | |
---|---|
चौधरी देवी लाल | |
Chaudhary Devi Lal
|
|
6th Deputy Prime Minister of India | |
In office 2 December 1989 – 21 June 1991 |
|
Prime Minister |
V. P. Singh Chandra Shekhar |
Preceded by | Yashwantrao Chavan |
Succeeded by | L. K. Advani |
Chief Minister of Haryana | |
In office 17 July 1987 – 2 December 1989 |
|
Governor | Muzaffar Husain Burney Hara Anand Barari |
Preceded by | Bansi Lal |
Succeeded by | Om Prakash Chautala |
In office 21 June 1977 – 28 June 1979 |
|
Governor | Jaisukh Lal Hathi Harcharan Singh Brar |
Preceded by | Banarsi Das Gupta |
Succeeded by | Bhajan Lal |
Personal details | |
Born |
Devi Dayal Chautala 25 September 1914 Sirsa, Punjab, British Raj |
Died | 6 April 2001 New Delhi |
(aged 91)
Political party | Indian National Lok Dal (1996–2001) |
Other political affiliations |
Indian National Congress (before 1971) Independent (1971–77) Janata Party (1977–87) Janata Dal (1988-1990) Samajwadi Janata Party (1990-1996) |
Chaudhary Devi Lal (25 September 1914 – 6 April 2001) was an Indian politician who twice served as Chief Minister of Haryana, first in 1977–79 and then in 1987–89. He also served as sixth Deputy Prime Minister of India from 1989–91 in the governments of V. P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar.
Devi Lal was born in Teja Khera village of Sirsa district in present-day Haryana.His mother's name was Shugna Devi and father's name was Lekh Ram Sihag. Lekh Ram was a wealthy Jat landlord of Chautala village and he owned 2750 bighas of land. He received education up to middle-school. His son Om Prakash Chautala has also served as Haryana's chief minister five times.
Chaudhary Devi Lal was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and was involved in the struggle for India's independence from the British Raj. Both he and his elder brother, Sahib Ram, left their studies unfinished to take part in the freedom movement.
For this, he was sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment and sent to Hissar jail on 8 October 1930. He took part in the movement of 1932 and was kept in Sadar Delhi Thana. In 1938 he was selected delegate of All-India Congress Committee. In March 1938 his elder brother was elected a Member of the Legislative Assembly in a by-election on the Congress party ticket. In January 1940, Sahib Ram courted arrest as a satyagrahi in the presence of Devi Lal and over ten thousand people. He was fined Rs 100 and sentenced to 9 months imprisonment.
Devi Lal was arrested on 5 October 1942 and kept in jail for two years for taking part in the 1942 Quit India movement. He was released from prison in October 1943 and he negotiated parole for his elder brother. In August 1944, Chhotu Ram, the then Revenue Minister, visited Chautala village. He, along with Lajpat Rai Alakhpura, made efforts to woo both Sahib Ram and Devi Lal to desert Congress and join the Unionist Party. But both workers, being dedicated freedom fighters, refused to leave the Congress Party.