Bansi Lal

Chaudhary Bansi Lal (1927 – 2006) was a freedom fighter, senior Congress leader, former Chief Minister and the architect of Haryana. He was born on August 26, 1927 in Golagarh village in the family of Chaudhari Mohar Singh of Legha sarpanch of Golagarh Bhiwani district of Haryana, India.

Almost PM

In 1991 Ch Bansi Lal was almost have became Prime Minister of India if he would have stayed in Congress, but he formed his own regional political party as HVP, Haryana Vikas Party. P. V. Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister from Congress in 1991. Before 1991 Bansi Lal was 3 time Chief Minister of Haryana 1968, 1972 and 1986 for almost 8.5 Years and 2 times Union Minister of India - Minister of Defence in 1975 and Minister of Railways in 1984. On the other hand P. V. Narasimha Rao was just once a Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in 1971 just for 1 year and few days and Union Minister in 1984. Bansi Lal was most eligible candidate for PM post because he was very close to Gandhi family Indira, Sanjay and Rajiv, since all three of them were no more and he was one of the oldest politician in Congress that time. But due to some reasons he left congress in 1991.

Family

wife - Vidya Devi from Bhuthan Kalan in Fatehabad
Son Ranbir Singh Mahendra MLA married Nirmal Kanta (Nilo) from Mundhal village in Bhiwani
Ritu Grand daughter
grandson Anirudh Chaudhary - BCCI
Son Surender Singh Legha MLA, Minister, MP married Kiran Choudhry Ahlawat of Gochhi Jhajjar- MLA, Minister, Deputy Speaker Delhi
grand daughter Shruti Chaudary MP
Daughter Sunita married Rajinder Chahar from Silani in Jhajjar son of Manhool Chahar MLA, Deputy Speaker Haryana
Daughter Dr. Sumitra Devi married Captain Gulab Singh
Daughter IAS Saroj Siwach married Dr. Kartar Singh Siwach
Daughter Savita Sheoran married Somvir Singh Sheoran from Gagarwas village in Bhiwani- MLA Loharu
grand daughter Sabina Sheoran
grandson Sameer Sheoran

Education

Bansi Lal studied at the Punjab University Law College, Jalandhar. In 1972, the Kurukshetra University and the Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar conferred on him honorary degrees of Doctor of Law and Doctor of Science respectively.

Political legacy

7 times MLA, 4 times Chief Minister, 3 times Lok Sabha MP, 2 times Rajya Sabha MP and 2 times Union Minister
1960 - 1966 First time Punjab Rajya Sabha
1967 - 1968 Tosham Congress mla Haryana first time
1968 — 1972 Tosham Congress mla, Haryana second time
1968 - 1972 Chief Minister Haryana first time
1972— 1975 mla Tosham Haryana third time
1972 - 1975 Chief Minister Haryana second time
1975 December 1 to December 20, 1975 Union Minister without portfolio
1975 December 21, to March 24, 1977 Defence Minister
1976—1980 second time Punjab Rajya Sabha
1980—1984 Seventh Lok Sabha Bhiwani Haryana
1984-1986 Eighth Lok Sabha Bhiwani Haryana
1984- 1986 Railway and Transport minister
1986 — 1987 Tosham bypoll Congress mla Haryana fourth time
1986 - 1987 Chief Minister Haryana third time
1989 - 1991 ninth Lok Sabha Bhiwani Haryana
1991 - 1996 Tosham HVP mla Haryana fifth time
1996 - 2000 Tosham HVP mla Haryana sixth time
1996 Chief Minister Haryana Fourth time
2000 - 2005 Bhiwani HVP mla Haryana seventh time

MLA won

1967 - 1968 Tosham Congress mla Haryana first time
1968 — 1972 Tosham Congress mla, Haryana second time
1972— 1975 mla Tosham Haryana third time
1986 — 1987 Tosham bypoll Congress mla Haryana fourth time
1991 - 1996 Tosham HVP mla Haryana fifth time
1996 - 2000 Tosham HVP mla Haryana sixth time
2000 - 2005 Bhiwani HVP mla Haryana seventh time

Political career

As a freedom fighter, He was secretary of Parja mandal in the Loharu State, from 1943 to 1944.
Lal was president of the Bar Association, Bhiwani from 1957 to 1958. He was president of District Congress Committee, Hissar, from 1959 to 1962 and later became member of Congress Working Committee and Congress Parliamentary Board.
He was a member of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee between 1958 and 1962.
He was also the chairman of the Committee of Parliament and Committee on Public Undertakings, 1980-82, and the Committee on Estimates, 1982-84.
He became railways minister on December 31, 1984 and later minister for transport.
He was a Rajya Sabha member from 1960 to 1966 and 1976 to 1980. He was a Lok Sabha member -- 1980 to 1984, 1985 to 1986 and 1989 to 1991.
After he parted company with Congress in 1996, Bansi Lal set up Haryana Vikas Party and his campaign against prohibition propelled him to power in the assembly polls the same year.
He, however, never recovered from the rout he suffered at the hands of Om Prakash Chautala in the 2000 polls.

Elections and posts

Member, Haryana Legislative Assembly, 1967-68, 1968-72 and 1972-75; Chief Minister, Haryana, May 1968-Nov. 1975;

Member, Rajya Sabha, 3-4-1960 to 2-4-1966 and 3-4-1976 to 7-1-1980;

Union Minister of Defence, Dec. 1975-March 1977;

Chief Minister of Haryana

Bansi Lal became the Chief Minister of Haryana four times in 1968, 1972, 1986 and 1996. He was the third chief minister of Haryana after Bhagwat Dayal Sharma and Rao Birender Singh. He became Haryana chief minister for the first time on May 31, 1968 and remained in office till March 13, 1972. On March 14, 1972, he occupied the top post in the state for the second time and was in office till November 30, 1975. The third and fourth times he was appointed chief minister was from June 5, 1986 to June 19, 1987 and May 11, 1996 to July 23, 1999.

Bansi Lal was elected to the state assembly seven times, the first time being in 1967. After Haryana was formed in 1966, much of the state's industrial and agricultural development, especially creation of infrastructure, took place due to Lal's initiatives. He was elected to the state assembly for seven times in 1967, 1968, 1972, 1986, 1991 and 2000.

He was responsible for electrifying all villages in Haryana during his tenure as chief minister in the late sixties and seventies. He was also the pioneer of highway tourism in the state - a model later adopted by a number of states. In the Nineties, he also banned liquor sales in Haryana though this policy could not last long, due to close proximity of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab from where liquor was being smuggled in large quantity and it became difficult for the police to control the entire borders of the state. His son Surender Singh and his associates are said to be behind the failure of prohibition and hence Bansi Lal Government.

Bansi Lal did not contest the assembly elections in 2005 but his sons Surendra Singh and Ranbir Singh Mahendra were elected to the state assembly. Surendra Singh died in a helicopter crash near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh in 2005.

Presently his grand daughter Ms. Sharuti Chaudhary (daughter of Late Surender Singh) is a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh seat and Mrs. Kiran Choudhry (wife of late Surender Singh) is MLA from Tosham and a Cabinet Minister in Haryana.

Role in emergency

Bansi Lal was in the limelight when Emergency was imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 26th June,1975. He was a confidante of Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay during the controversial Emergency days in 1975. He along with Sanjay Gandhi was said to be responsible for various steps during the Emergency, including a plan to cut off power supply to newspaper establishments and close down courts. He was the defence minister from December 21, 1975 to March 24, 1977 and a minister without portfolio in the Union government from December 1, 1975 to December 20, 1975.

Official Bio Data

This bio data has been copied from the website of Rajya Sabha - http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/b.pdf

BANSI LAL, SHRI : B.A., L.L.B.; IND. (Haryana); s. of Choudhary Mohar Singh; b. August 26, 1927; m. Shrimati Vidya Devi, 2 s. and 4 d.; Member, Haryana Legislative Assembly, 1967-68, 1968-72 and 1972-75; Chief Minister, Haryana, May, 1968 to November, 1975; Member, Rajya Sabha, 3-4-1960 to 2-4-1966 and 3-4-1976 to 7-1-1980; Union Minister of Defence, December, 1975 to March, 1977.

Per. Add. : House No. 187, Vijay Nagar, Bhiwani (Haryana).

A widely traveled person

Bansi Lal visited a number of countries, including Burma, Afghanistan, erstwhile USSR, Mauritius, Tanzania, Zambia, Seychelles, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Greece, West Germany, The Netherland, Belgium, France and Italy.

Bansi Lal died in New Delhi on 28 March 2006. He had been unwell for quite some time.

चौधरी बंसीलाल

यह बात उन दिनों की है जब संयुक्त पंजाब होता था और हरियाणा का जन्म नहीं हुआ था ! उस वक्त संयुक्त पंजाब में चौधरी लहरी सिंह बिजली मंत्री थे | एक बार उनका प्रोग्राम गोलागढ़ गांव के नजदीक जुई गांव में था | उस वक्त गोला गढ़ गांव का एक युवा वकालत की पढ़ाई पूरी करके गाँव वापस आया था। गांव वालों ने मांग पत्र बनाया और कहा कि ” भैया आप वकालत की पढ़ाई करके आए हैं इसलिए यह मांग पत्र मंत्री जी को आप ही देंगे “!

तब उस युवा ने गांव वालों से कहा कि आप सभी सहमत हो तो इसमें एक मांग मैं भी रखना चाहता हूं तो गांव वालों ने अपनी सहमति व्यक्त करते हुये उस युवा वक़ील को उसकी माँग भी मांगपत्र में लिखने की सहमति दे दी ! तय समयानुसार चौधरी लहरी सिंह गांव में आए और उनको मांग पत्र दिया गया ! सारा मांग पत्र पढ़ने के बाद मंत्री जी ने कहा “यह आखिरी लाइन किसने लिखी है”,

सारा गाँव उस नौजवान की तरफ देखने लग गया | मंत्री जी समझ गए कि यह लाइन इसी नौजवान ने लिखी है | उस लाइन में लिखा था कि इस क्षेत्र में बिजली का प्रबंध होना चाहिए | मंत्री जी ने ग्रामवासीयों की तरफ मुख़ातिब होते हुये कहा कि “या तो यह लड़का मेरे को मूर्ख समझ रहा है, या फिर आपको मूर्ख बना रहा है, इस एरिया में बिजली तो बादलों में ही देखना |

घरों में बिजली भूल जाओ क्योंकि उस समय बिजली इस इलाक़े में दूर दूर तक नहीं थी और निकट भविष्य में आने का कोई संभावना भी नहीं थी , न ही उस वक़्त की सरकारों की प्राथमिकता थी। यह बात उस नौजवान के दिल में तीर की तरह चुभ गई | दोस्तों, क्या आपको पता है वह नौजवान कौन था ?

वह थे हरियाणा के निर्माता विकासपुरुष चौधरी बंसीलाल लेघा जी, जब चौधरी बंसीलाल लेघा गोत्री ने बतौर मुख्यमंत्री तत्कालीन कांग्रेस सरकार 1972 में हरियाणा के आखिरी गांव में बिजली देकर, हर गांव को सड़क से जोड़कर अपने P.A. को कहा कि पता करो चौधरी लहरी सिंह कहां मिलेंगे तब P.A. ने चौधरी लहरी सिंह को फोन किया और कहा कि चौधरी बंसीलाल मिलना चाहते हैं। तय समय अनुसार चौधरी बंसीलाल जी, चौधरी लहरी सिंह जी से मिलने रोहतक पहुंचे, तब लहरी सिंह को यह नहीं पता था कि यह बंसीलाल वही जुई वाला बंसीलाल है |

तब चौधरी बंसीलाल ने कहा कि चौधरी साहब आप फ़लाँ सन् और फ़लाँ तारीख को जुई गए थे, उस वक्त गांव वालों ने मांग पत्र रखा था और गांव वालों के मांग पत्र में एक मांग यह भी थी कि इस क्षेत्र में बिजली का प्रबंध किया जाए, तब आपने कहा था कि यहां के लोग बिजली बादलों में ही देखो | या तो यह लड़का मेरे को मूर्ख समझ रहा है या आप लोगों को मूर्ख बना रहा है |

मैं वही बंसीलाल हूं और आज हरियाणा के हर गांव में बिजली का कनेक्शन हर गांव को सड़क दे कर आप से मिलने आया हूं और बताने आया हूं कि उसी बंसीलाल ने आज हरियाणा के हर गांव में बिजली पहुंचा दी है।

एक बार पंजाब के नेताओं ने SYL विवाद के चलते ऐलान किया था कि हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री को पंजाब की धरती से होकर राजधानी चंडीगढ़ नही जाने देंगे । चौधरी बंसीलाल ऐसे दमदार नेता है तो हरियाणा से होकर ही चंडीगढ़ जाकर दिखाएं। नए नए राज्य बने हरियाणा में उन दिनों चंडीगढ़ तक सड़क की ठीक व्यवस्था नही थी । दोस्तों यह बात हमारे चौधरी बंसीलाल को खटक गयी, एक ही दिन में यमुनानगर वाया नारायणगढ़ होकर चंडीगढ़ तक सड़क बनवा दी और उस रास्ते राजधानी पहुँचे तो पंजाब के गैर किसान वर्ग के वो पाखंडी शहरी नेता हाथ मलते रह गए थे, ऐसे थे चौधरी बंसीलाल !

Gallery

श्रीमती चन्द्रावती, बंशी लाल (दायें तरफ)) के साथ सभा को संबोधित करते हुये
श्रीमती चन्द्रावती, इंदिरागांधी और बंशी लाल के साथ
श्रीमती चन्द्रावती (सबसे बायें खड़े हुये) हरयाणा के प्रथम मंत्रिमंडल में बंशी लाल (बैठे हुये बायें से तीसरे) के साथ
फरीदाबाद में मुख्यमंत्री बंशी लाल के साथ श्रीमती चन्द्रावती
चौ. बंसीलाल की कोठी

External links

References