Rao Inderjit Singh: The political maverick of South Haryana

South Haryana, the Ahirwal dominated region is one of the crucial landmarks, on the way to the power seat at Chandigarh. South Haryana, the major non-jat region of Haryana is politically dominated by the Ahirs (Yadavs), and Rao Inderjit Singh, carrying the legacy of Rao Tula Ram, holds the important key to the politics of the region.

Singh, who was born in Rampura, attended Delhi University's Hindu College, graduated, and then pursued a legal education before entering politics at the age of 26. Currently, serving as Gurugram MP and as the Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Planning and Statistics and Programme Implementation as well as MoS for Corporate Affairs in the Narendra Modi-led government at the center, the veteran politician made his Assembly poll debut from Rewari’s Jatusana on the ticket of the Vishal Haryana Party founded by his father Rao Birender, which later merged with the Congress in 1978.

The former congressman shifted his loyalties to the BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The five-time parliamentarian and four-time MLA, Rao, can be often seen talking about regaining the lost political rights and glory of South Haryana. Speaking at a rally in Pataudi in June of this year, Singh claimed that the BJP government has accelerated the development of South Haryana with the goal of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, and Sabka Vishwas." He did, however, also draw attention to purported political prejudice against the area, alleging that its citizens have historically been taken advantage of. The veteran politician hailing from the powerful, Rampura house of Rewari, served the region in various capacities in his long political career but he is yet to achieve the throne of Haryana unlike his father Rao Birender Singh who became Haryana’s second Chief Minister in 1967.

Inside the political circles of the state, Singh’s interest in the CM position has long been known. In a recent TV station interview, he revealed all, stating, “There is no doubt that in our region people have made and broken Chief Ministers. In 2014, if our people had not gotten together, the BJP would not have come to power. Our people protested that it was wrong to stand with Khattar, but no one listened and made him the CM. I harbored the ambition to become the CM and people shared these sentiments. When the government was formed, people felt that their leader was not chosen, but it was the party’s decision, and we had to follow it’’. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see in the upcoming 2024 assembly elections that, if the heir, of Rao Tula Ram can move from his MP residence located in Delhi’s premium Khan Market to Chandigarh as Haryana’s CM.