Party-hopping among politicians has a long history, but two figures from Haryana in the late 1960s, Hira Nand Arya and Gaya Lal, stood out for their frequent defections, inspiring the term “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram.” This phrase, meaning “he comes, he goes,” symbolized the rampant culture of defection that plagued Haryana’s political landscape back in 1967. Gaya Lal, an MLA from Hodal, notably switched parties multiple times within hours, highlighting the opportunistic nature of such moves.
The trend of defections continued with Hira Nand Arya defecting five times, while others switched loyalties multiple times as well. These events, chronicled in various books, including “Land of the Gods: The Story of Haryana” and “The Power of the Ballot: Travail and Triumph in the Elections,” reflect the tumultuous political scenario during Haryana’s early Assembly elections. Factional rivalries and power struggles led to frequent changes in party affiliations, ultimately resulting in the downfall of Chief Minister Bhagwat Dayal Sharma’s government.
In a significant turn of events, Rao Birender Singh emerged as Chief Minister under the SVD banner, with support allegedly from Devi Lal, orchestrating defections that reshaped the political landscape. The phrase “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram” is believed to have originated when Rao Birender Singh introduced Gaya Lal as “Aaya Ram now,” marking a pivotal moment in Haryana’s political history. The subsequent introduction of the Anti-Defection Law in 1985 aimed to curb such rapid party-switching and ensure governance stability by disqualifying legislators who defected after being elected.
