How Chander Parkash Kathuria Rose to Prominence in Haryana’s Politics

Only a few capable politicians in the country's current political status meet their people's expectations, and Haryana Sugar Federation Chairman Chander Parkash Kathuria is one among them. He grabbed major headlines for reducing losses of hundreds of crores in the Haryana Sugar industry.

Chander Parkash Kathuria was born in Haryana's Karnal district. He began his political career in the same region, where he witnessed the hardships of the oppressed and marginalized, as well as many other challenges, at an early age. He never quit up, though. Through his 20-year political career and volunteer activities, he established a solid name and reputation in the state.

He entered politics in 1995 with Chaudhary Bansilal's 'Haryana Vikas Party.' He made every effort in polls to push Congress out of the state. Following this, his potential was recognized by the party and he got appointed as 'Karnal Youth President.'

Soon after, he became the 'District General Secretary' for four years, and then the 'State General Secretary' from 2002 to 2004, in addition to being a core member of the party. He refused to join Congress during the Haryana Vikas Party's core group meeting prior to the merger.

The policies of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party influenced him. In 2004, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alongside Ganesh Lal, the president of the Haryana Vikas Party, and thousands of other workers after meeting the party's leader, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

In view of Chander Parkash's popularity, BJP chose him as its candidate for the Karnal assembly elections in 2009. However, contrary to common opinion, Chander Parkash lost the poll. But still, he became a BJP state minister at the same time, forcing the administration to make decisions and reforms on a variety of matters.

He went on a hunger strike and staged a 'dharna' to pressure the government to hurry up the construction of the Karnal flyover, which would save the people from countless accidents. During the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, he was the election in charge of the Karnal Assembly constituency. Parkash gave the BJP a 56,000-vote lead in this election. Needless to say, the BJP won the polls with a significant margin.

The government named him chairman of Haryana Sugarfed on December 13, 2016. He did an outstanding job in the first financial year after taking over the chairmanship and reduced losses in the sugar mills by roughly 400 crores.

Chander Parkash Kathuria lay the foundation stone of a new sugar mill during his tenure as Chairman, in response to the appeal of Panipat and Karnal sugar mill farmers for the preceding 22 years.

Chander Parkash is also a philanthropist, and some of his charitable acts include providing good education to needy and orphaned children, supporting the marriage of girls from poor families, and providing protection to abandoned cows by sending them to Gaushalas.