The INLD also issued an official statement on last night's felicitation of Diwali function.
New Delhi:
At a felicitation ceremony by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to mark the victory of its two legislators in the 2014 Haryana Assembly elections, both from the Chautala family, Pakistani lawmaker Abdul Rehman Kanju was present.
The event, which coincided with Diwali celebrations, saw many, especially locals, youth talking about the presence of a Pakistani lawmaker at an event organized at popular Chautala village in Sirsa.
The party also shared on its social media how residents of Chautala held a grand reception for the event's chief guest – Pakistani politician Abdul Rehman Kanju.
Sirsa, Haryana: Pakistani MP Abdul Rehman participated in an event organized by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Sirsa.
Pakistani MP Abdul Rehman says: “…I greet you all, and I am happy to participate in your celebrations on the occasion of Diwali. I wish… pic.twitter.com/T7sHX4Xaur
— IANS (@ians_india) November 1, 2024
The felicitation ceremony was organized to celebrate the revival of INLD in Haryana politics and also to mark the Chautala clan taking up the mantle of its ancestors. In the 2019 elections, INLD was completely decimated with only Abhay Singh Chautala securing his seat; However, the party's vote share increased modestly in the 2024 elections. Arjun Chautala won the Rania Assembly seat and Aditya Devilal Chautala won Dabwali, both by a margin of around 50,000 votes.
Abdul Rehman Kanju thanked the residents of Chautala village for the warm welcome and said he was overwhelmed by their love and warmth.
He recalled his ancestral ties with a village near Punjab, said he lost his father at a young age and talked about the support he received from the Chautala family.
He expressed his gratitude to the family for the support they gave him during the difficult phases of life and said that the Chautala family has been committed to the welfare of people for decades and continues to do so till date.
He also conveyed Diwali greetings to all villagers and prayed for the long life of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.
“I appeal to the youth to always respect their elders as they are our guiding force,” he said while addressing the crowd.
The INLD also issued an official statement on the felicitation of Diwali last night and said that the chief guest from Pakistan made the event more special.
“The hearts of all the villagers and our family member and Member of Parliament Abdul Rehman Saheb, who came as the chief guest from Pakistan on this special occasion, for the felicitation ceremony organized to welcome Aditya Devi Lal and Arjun Singh Chautala to the land of our ancestral village Chautala express our deepest gratitude last night. His participation in the event made it all the more special.
Notably, Chautala village in Haryana's Sirsa district has housed as many as five MPs, fourteen MLAs and a deputy chief minister.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
