BATHINDA: Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader and four-time
Haryana chief minister Om Prakash
Chautala
(87) on Saturday campaigned for five-time
Punjab CM
Parkash Singh Badal in Lambi as the latter makes the sixth dash for that assembly seat at 94.
Badal became unwell and was moved to Chandigarh’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). Chautala, whose last term as Haryana CM ended in 2005, asked the public to elect
Badal
and his Shiromani Akali Dal "for all-round development". Despite Punjab’s water dispute with Haryana, the Badal and Chautala families have remained friends since the times of former deputy prime minister Chaudhary Devi Lal. The association continues to the fourth generation, as even Chautala’s grandsons visit the Badals, during the elections especially.
Their villages, Badal and Chautala, are not far off from each other, with Dabwali being the nearest town for both. The Badals’ farmhouse at Balasar is close to Chautala village. The bond had remained even when the INLD broke ties with the BJP but the SAD kept it as ally. Chautala said of Parkash Singh Badal: “The country has no other leader of his stature. Badal commands the respect of all parties and can take Punjab to greater heights even at this ripe age.”