When Haryana Politics Turned Medical: Wit, Satire and Power Play in ‘Gustakhi Maaf Haryana’

Gustakhi Maaf Haryana — Pawan Kumar Bansal

Haryanvis are known for their wit and humour. While launching my book on Haryana politics, “Haryana Ke Lalo Ke Sabrange Kisse”, anecdotal in structure, 28 years back, eminent journalist Prabhash Joshi commented, “Haryanvis have the rare quality of laughing at themselves.” Here, politicians also take on their opponents with wit, and that too using medical terminology.

Leader of Opposition in Haryana, Abhay Chautala, had planned to dig the Punjab portion of the Sutlej–Yamuna Link Canal, which Punjab was not allowing to be dug despite orders of the Supreme Court of India. An Ambala BJP MLA, describing it as a political gimmick, offered to serve Becosule tablets to their workers so that they would not get tired.

The scene now shifts to 21 years back. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had appointed Bhupinder Singh Hooda as Chief Minister of Haryana, although his bete noire Bhajan Lal had the support of a majority of legislators. During those days, Bhajan Lal’s supporters used to organise tea parties in his honour to show his popularity to the High Command. Hooda commented that one fellow was having tea several times daily, forgetting that too much tea leads to acidity. Reciprocating, Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi told Hooda why he was having stomach pain over the issue.

In the 1982 Assembly polls, then Governor G. D. Tapase had sworn in Bhajan Lal as Chief Minister and asked him to prove his majority on the floor of the House, although his opponent Devi Lal had majority support. Tapase had even invited Devi Lal to prove his majority but, under pressure from central leaders, administered the oath to Bhajan Lal. Bhajan Lal won over the support of Independent MLA Colonel Ramsingh by offering him a cabinet berth. Earlier, Ramsingh was supporting Devi Lal and had criticised Tapase for his action. When Tapase administered the oath to Colonel Ramsingh, he touched his feet.

A newsman asked, “Colonel Sahib, how have you changed your stand?” Bhajan Lal came to his rescue, saying he was a patient of hypertension and when he had misbehaved with Tapase his blood pressure was high, but he had cured him by giving an “Atenol” tablet — meaning a ministerial berth.

In the early seventies, former Chief Minister Bhagwat Dayal Sharma had love-hate relations with Chief Minister Bansi Lal. Once in the Parliament lobby, Bhagwat Dayal Sharma met Sultan Singh, a stooge of Bansi Lal. On being asked about his health, Sharma said he was suffering from hypertension. Soon he realised its implications and told Sultan Singh to inform Bansi Lal that he was a patient of high blood pressure.

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