Chaudhari Devi Lal



Chaudhari Devi Lal (1914-2001) was an Indian politician, freedom fighter, Chief Minister of the state of Haryana and Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was born in a Jat Hindu family on 25 September 1914 in Teja Khera village of Sirsa district in Haryana, India. His mother's name was Shugna Devi and father's name was Lekh Ram.
Freedom fighter
Chaudhari Devi Lal was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and was actively involved in the struggle for Indian indpendence from the British Raj. He was arrested on 5th October, 1942 and kept in jail for a period of two years for taking part in the 1942 Quit India movement. After independence, he emerged as a popular leader of farmers in India. He belongs to the Jat clan of Bagris.
Popular as Tau
While in power, Chaudhari Devi Lal is credited for having taken several decisions in the interest of the farming community and the rural people, among whom he is popularly known as 'Tau' (Elder Uncle). He died on April 6, 2001 at the age of 86. He was cremated at “Kisan Ghat” on the banks of the river Yamuna. "Kisan Ghat" is the samadhi of another popular leader of the farmers, Choudhary Charan Singh, former Prime Minister of India.