Kataria had penchant for poetry, singing
Born in 1951 at Sandhali village of Yamunanagar’s Radaur block, Kataria had received an award from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for his singing skills when he was 13
Three-time BJP MP from Ambala and former Union minister Rattan Lal Kataria, who died Thursday, had a penchant for poetry and childhood passion for singing which he put to good use in politics.
Born in 1951 at Sandhali village of Yamunanagar’s Radaur block, Kataria had received an award from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for his singing skills when he was 13.
In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, and in the subsequent elections he fought, Kataria used his melodious voice to seek votes for the BJP. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar while recalling Kataria’s cheerful nature and said it endeared leaders not only from the party but across the political spectrum. Kataria came from a humble background and rose to become a Union minister through hard work, he said. The CM said Kataria had good relations with Narendra Modi, who would ask about him at party meetings.
“He will be remembered for his rich contribution towards public service and social justice. He played a key role in strengthening the BJP in Haryana,” Modi tweeted.
Kataria joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during early 1970s when he was pursuing Bachelor of Arts from Ambala Cantonment’s SD College.
Maan Singh from Mandhar village, who had been with Kataria since his youth, said: “While he led the Ladwa shakha, I was tehsil karyawahak in Radaur. It was at the RSS where we both learnt how to work for the society.”
Former MLA from Radaur Karn Dev Kamboj said: “In 1979, we attended a week-long RSS camp in Delhi together.We lived in the same room in Karol Bagh for the camp and became friends.”
When Kataria gifted Vajpayee a pair of ‘desi juttis’
Ambala City MLA Aseem Goel shared how Kataria gifted a ‘desi juttis’ made by his father Jyoti Ram to BJP stalwart and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “In 1990, Kataria was an MLA from Radaur when he met Vajpayeeji. He managed to take Vajpayeeji’s foot imprint on a paper and later made a ‘desi juttis’ with his father’s help for the BJP veteran,” added Goel.
During the monsoon session of Parliament in 2021, Kataria took his elderly father to Delhi and shared heart-touching images of their train journey and Parliament visit. As an MP in the 17th Lok Sabha, his attendance remained at 99%, much above the national average of 79% and state’s 92%.
