Gurugram: Ahirwal belt in Haryana is known for simple and courageous people who are famous for their bravery and patriotism since ancient times. Similarly, it is no surprise that the region also has its own set of political families, mentioned by no less than the three Lal dynasties of the state – former chief ministers Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal.
The third generation of the three families of Ahirwals is carrying forward their dynastic legacy in this region consisting of Mahendergarh, Rewari and Gurugram districts. One of these families traces its lineage back to Rao Tula Ram, a chieftain who participated in the First War of Independence in 1857.
Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh is the son of the second Chief Minister of Haryana, Rao Birender Singh. Along with this, he is also a prominent member of the Rampura House of the erstwhile state Rewari.
Gurugram MP also has two brothers named Rao Ajit Singh and Rao Yadvendra Singh. While Rao Inderjit Singh’s daughter Aarti Rao is a state executive member of BJP in Haryana, Ajit Singh’s son Rao Arjun Singh is now associated with the Congress party.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Program Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh is in news for asking tough questions to the Manohar Khattar-led BJP government over the communal violence in Nuh.
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Captain Ajay Singh Yadav, son of Rao Abhay Singh, has been a six-time MLA from Rewari. His father had defeated Rao Birendra Singh from Rewari in 1952. Ajay Singh’s son Chiranjeev Rao won from Rewari in his first election in 2019 as a Congress candidate.
The third important family of this area is Budhpur House established by Rao Mohar Singh. Mohar Singh is credited with opening the first co-operative bank in Gurgaon before partition. His sons Rao Mahavir Singh and Rao Vijayveer Singh became MLAs. Rao Mahavir Singh’s son Rao Narbir Singh is a three-time MLA, he last won from Badshahpur in 2014 as a BJP candidate.
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Political analyst of Haryana politics Pawan Kumar Bansal said that all the three dynasties have been active in the Ahirwal region for almost seven decades, but the dynasty started from Rao Birender Singh is the most influential.
Bansal told ThePrint, “Rao Birender Singh and now, Rao Inderjit Singh not only won the election on their own, irrespective of which party fielded them, but also had their supporters from other assembly seats in the Ahirwal belt.” There is also the ability to win elections.
Legacy of Rao Birendra Singh
In February, a postage stamp was issued by the Department of Posts in the memory of Rao Birendra Singh. On the occasion, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar described Rao Birender Singh as a “popular leader of the masses, who always championed the cause of the people, especially the weaker sections of the society, and contributed immensely to nation building.”
Rao Birender Singh became the second Chief Minister of Haryana in place of Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma. However, he could remain in this post only from March 24, 1967 to November 2, 1967. A descendant of freedom fighter Rao Tula Ram, Rao Birender Singh served the British as a Captain in the Indian Army from 1939 to 1947. From 1950 to 1951 he was in the Territorial Army as a commissioned officer.
His electoral debut was difficult as he lost to Rao Abhay Singh from Rewari in 1952. Rewari was then a part of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. He then joined the Congress in 1954 and was nominated as a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) for undivided Punjab and held the position for two consecutive terms till 1966.
During this period, he held several important portfolios in the Pratap Singh Kairon government, such as PWD, Irrigation, Power, Revenue and Consolidation. At this time, Rao Birendra Singh was one of those leaders who constantly raised the demand for a separate Haryana state.
After Haryana was carved out of Punjab in November 1966, Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma became the first chief minister and Rao Birender Singh became the first speaker of the newly formed state.
In the first assembly elections for Haryana in 1967, Rao Birender Singh was elected as a Congress candidate from Pataudi. However, he left the Congress and founded his own Vishal Haryana Party.
The most important time for him came when he was appointed the second Chief Minister of the state on March 24, 1967. But in November 1967, the assembly was dissolved and President’s rule was imposed in Haryana.
Governor B.N. Chakraborty dismissed Rao Birender Singh’s government after he learned that two MLAs had twice switched sides with the Congress and the Vishal Haryana Party. This was the year when for the first time a culture dawned in Haryana in which elected representatives readily changed their loyalties – that of ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’ Contained in the phrase, which was coined by none other than Rao Birender Singh, who himself was a victim of it.
(Editing: Rishabh Raj)
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