CHAUDHARY KHAPS PAY TRIBUTE TO AJIT SINGH, DECLARE RLD CHIEF JAYANT HIS HEIR
MEERUT : Members of 18 Chaudhary khaps gathered in school premises in Chaprauli, Bagpat, on Sunday to pay tribute to Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief late Ajit Singh. On the occasion RLD chief Jayant Choudhary was delcared as heir to his grandfather former prime minister Charan Singh and Ajit Singh’s legacy.
Ajit Singh died of Corona in May this year but his post-death rituals were postponed due to the second wave of Covid. The programme was organised on Sunday in Chaprauli to pay tribute to the departed soul which included a Hawan and ‘Rasam Pagdi’ (an act of tying turban to the elder son of the deceased). The leader of the 18 Chaudhary khaps honoured Jayant by tying a turban.
General secretary of Sarv Khap Panchayat Subhash Baliyan claimed that over 3 lakh people from UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and other places gathered at the venue. An emotional Jayant expressed his gratitude towards all the Khaps. “Your love and affection are my real strength and I will do my best to fulfil your expectations,” Jayant said.
BKU chief and head of Baliyan Khap, Sanjay Kalkhande, Shokindra Singh of Battisha Khap, Rajendra Singh of Gathwala Khap, and members of other khaps attended the function. Baliyan shared that 18 khaps exist in the Doab region (area between river Ganga and Yamuna) and khaps from Haryana and Rajasthan also attended the function.
According to political experts carrying forward the legacy of Charan Singh and Ajit Singh would be a great challenge for Jayant since it was based on Hindu-Muslims unity, which was severely dented after the riots of Muzaffarnagar in September 2013. “The main challenge for Jayant will be to revive lost unity,” opined a political expert.