INLD prepares for Tau’s anniversary rally in Hooda’s bastion, Rohtak
Party’s supremo Abhay Chautala targeting Hooda, Deepender in run up to September 25 rally as INLD aims to project him as tallest leader among Jats
NewsArc Bureau
Rohtak, September 6, 2025: Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) will organize a grand rally in Rohtak on September 25, 2025, on the birth anniversary of the late Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal. The rally, organized at the Jat pocket borough of Rohtak—widely regarded as the bastion of Congress leader and the previous Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda—indicates a strong initiative by the INLD to assert its dominance in Haryana’s political scene.
INLD strongman Abhay Singh Chautala has been ramping up his campaign ahead of the rally, targeting Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son, Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, at public gatherings all over the state. Chautala’s recent tours of Nuh, Fatehabad, and Panipat have received positive crowds, with followers welcoming his call for participation in the Rohtak rally warmly. On September 8, Chautala will travel to Meham in Rohtak district to rally party workers and send out invitations for the event, adding to the INLD’s outreach.
Chautala has, in his speeches, blamed the Hooda duo of conspiring to create a “setting” with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) so that it could win the 2024 Haryana Assembly polls. In Tohana, he accused Bhupinder Singh Hooda of fielding weak candidates, like in Uchana, to ensure the BJP’s third term in office. “The father-son duo has surrendered Haryana to unknown hands,” Chautala said in Panipat, also referring to the crumbling law and order in the state with three murders per day.
INLD sources claim that several leaders close to the Hoodas are defecting to the INLD, signaling a potential shift in the Jat community’s allegiance. With the Congress itself dazed by its defeat in the 2024 Assembly elections at the hands of Bhupinder Singh Hooda and yet to designate him as the Leader of Opposition, the INLD is making use of the situation to make Abhay Singh Chautala appear to be the tallest Jat leader in Haryana. The INLD’s narrative focuses on Chautala’s strong roots in the legacy of Chaudhary Devi Lal, a highly respected figure among Jats, and presents itself as a powerful alternative to the BJP as well as the Congress.
The rally at Rohtak’s Chhotu Ram Stadium next month will attract lakhs of party workers, with top INLD leadership such as state president Rampal Majra and others busy mobilizing workers. The event is meant to pay tribute to Devi Lal’s role while mobilizing support to take on the BJP government, which Chautala alleges has not tackled crime and governance. Political analysts perceive the rally as a significant litmus test of INLD’s capability to unify Jat votes and reframe Haryana politics before future electoral confrontations.
Chaudhary Devi Lal (1915–2001), affectionately addressed as “Tau” (uncle) by his followers, was a giant in Indian politics and a crusader of the rights of farmers. A noted Jat leader from Haryana, he was the Deputy Prime Minister of India twice (1977–79 and 1989–90) and Chief Minister of Haryana several times. As the founder of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Devi Lal promoted rural development, agricultural reforms, and social justice, gaining popular admiration for his grassroots linkage and dedication to farmers and poor people’s welfare. He remains a source of inspiration for political movements in Haryana, with the INLD celebrating his vision by commemorating events on his birthday anniversary, such as the upcoming rally.
