As a satyagrahi in the presence of Chaudhary Devi Lai and over ten thousand people. He was fined Rs. 100 and sentenced to a nine-month imprisonment.

Chaudhary Devi Lai was arrested on 5th October, 1942 and kept in jail for 2 years for taking part in Quit India Movement (1942). Therefore, in 1942, Chaudhary Lekh Ram’s both sons, Chaudhary Sahib Ram and Chaudhary Devi Lal, were in Multan jail for taking part in the freedom struggle.

Chaudhary Devi Lai was released from prison in October, 1943 and he got his elder brother Chaudhary Sahib Ram released on parole. In August, 1944, Sir Chhotu Ram, the then revenue minister, visited Chautala village. He, along with Lajpat Rai Alakhpura, made efforts to woo both Chaudhary Sahib Ram and Chaudhary Devi Lal to desert the Congress and join the Unionist Party.

But both the workers refused to leave the Congress party. After independence, he started farmer’s movement and was arrested along with his 500 workers. After some time, the then Chief Minister, Dr. Gopi Chand Bhargava, made an agreement and the Muzzara Act was amended.

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He was elected as a member of Punjab Assembly in 1952 and as Congress President of Punjab in 1956. He played an active and decisive role in forming Haryana as a separate state. In 1958, he was elected from Sirsa. In 1971, he left the Congress after being its member for 39 years. He was elected in 1974 from Rori constituency against the Congress.

In 1975, Indira Gandhi declared emergency, and Chaudhary Devi Lai, along with all the opposition leaders, was sent to jail for 19 months in Hissar Jail and Mahendragarh fort. In 1977 emergency ended and general elections were held. He was elected on Janata Party’s ticket. He became the Chief Minister of Haryana. He remained a Member of Parliament from 1980 to 1982 and also Member of the State Assembly from 1982 to 1987.

He formed Lok Dal and started Nyaya Yuddh under Haryana Sangharsh Samiti and became popular among masses; in state elections (1987), the alliance led by Chaudhary Devi Lai won a record victory winning 85 seats in the 90 member house. Congress was routed in the State winning only 5 seats.

Chaudhary Devi Lai became the Chief Minister of Haryana for the second time. In parliamentary elections (1989), he was elected from Rohtak. Consequently, he became the Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in August, 1998. He died on 6 April, 2001.

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Mr. Devi Lai fought against the British rule. After independence, he matured as a leader of farmers of India. During his tenure as Chief Minister of Haryana, he made several decisions, which showed how much close he was to the masses. He was so much popular among people that they used to call him Tan.

Haryana’s economy is continuously gaining strength and his heading towards new heights of development. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in real terms had recorded a growth of 6.0 per cent during 1998-99, which was mainly due to recovery in the agriculture sector. The structural composition of economy has witnessed significant changes since the formation of Haryana as a separate State.