Bansi Lal

Bansi Lal is one of those few politician who don't stand a chance of aligning with either the BJP or the Congress.

Bansi Lal is one of those few politician who don't stand a chance of aligning with either the BJP or the Congress. The quirkiness of the Indian politics reflects in Haryana Vikas Party supremo's life.

HT Image

The man who was one of the principal villains of the Emergency later on joined hands with those who suffered under it. Only to be left alone, which is the current status of Bansi Lal. But he isn't anywhere near to Congress either: recently he said "foreigner" Sonia Gandhi would not be acceptable as a Prime Minister by the country.

Bansi Lal has had a most chequered career. The two most defining event of his life have remained etched on public memory with rather unpleasant feelings. During the Emergency years he was the Defence Minister who connived at Sanjay Gandhi's notorious attempt to upsurge the authority and prestige of senior most Nay commanders.

In 1996, Bansi Lal burst on the national scene, nascent Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) and its newfound ally BJP captured 7 out of 10 seats in Haryana. A little later Bansi Lal was in the saddle in state thanks to his much hyped call for total prohibition. He failed to translate words into action and people dispatched him to the political wilderness he had come from after a long hiatus.