Former Pakistan minister Abdul Rehman visits Haryana's Chautala village for Diwali event; celebrates INLD win

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan minister Abdul Rehman Kanju on Thursday visited Chautala village in Haryana's Sirsa district and attended a felicitation ceremony of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) marking the victory of its two MLAs in the recently concluded Haryana Assembly elections. INLD president and former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and Abhay Chautala were also present in the event coinciding with Diwali celebrations.

In a social media post on Facebook, Abhay Chautala said, "We express our heartfelt gratitude to all the villagers for the felicitation ceremony organized to welcome our dear Aditya Devi Lal ji and Arjun Singh Chautala on the land of our ancestral village Chautala late last evening and to our family member and MP Abdul Rehman sahab who came from Pakistan as the chief guest on this special occasion.

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"His presence has made today's event even more special," he added.

Meanwhile, Kanju also addressed the gathering and said that Abhay and O P Chautala have always been there for him in his thick and thin despite living across the border.

"We may be living across the border, but Abhay and O P Chautala have always been there for us in our thick and thin. Abhay is Haryana's Sher (lion), the Pakistani leader said.


"When I used to watch Haryana assembly's proceedings on YouTube, Abhay used to forcefully raise issues in the House," he added.

"Diwali is the festival of lights, which dispels darkness and may Allah bestow happiness on people of both the countries," Kanju further said.

Abhay Singh Chautala told the gathering that he spoke to Kanju over phone recently.

"When I spoke to him over the phone, I told him that he had come for Arjun's wedding but after that we haven't met for a long time. I invited him to come and told him that Diwali is also around.

"He immediately accepted my invitation. I have also visited them many times," Abhay Singh Chautala said.

The felicitation ceremony was organised to celebrate the resurgence of INLD in Haryana politics and also to mark the Chautala clan taking on the mantle of its ancestors. In the 2019 elections, INLD was completely decimated with just Abhay Singh Chautala securing his seat; however, in the 2024 elections, the party's vote share has seen modest gains. Arjun Chautala won Rania Assembly seat and Aditya Devilal Chautala won Dabwali, both with a margin of about 50,000 votes.

Chautala village has been home to as many as five MPs, 14 MLAs and a deputy prime minister.
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