Ram Richpal Ohlyan (born 24 November 1881 – 9 January 1945), better known as Sir Chhotu Ram, “Paying tribute to peasant leader Sir Chhotu Ram Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Sunday recalled his contribution in empowering the farmers and the working class” was a prominent Indian agrarian reformer, politician and ideologue in Punjab Province during pre independent India. He was known for his advocacy for the rights of farmers and oppressed rural communities. A co-founder of the National Unionist Party, he played a pivotal role in shaping agrarian policies that protected peasants from exploitative moneylenders and promoted agricultural development in pre-independent India. Chhotu Ram is popularly known as "Deenbandhu", "Rahbar-e-Azam" and "Kisano ke Maseeha", as he championed a secular, cross-communal alliance of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh agriculturists, countering the rising influence of the Indian National Congress and Muslim League in Punjab.
His legislative reforms, including the Punjab Restitution of Mortgage Land Act and the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act, laid the foundation for modern agricultural market systems and farmer protections, earning him a knighthood in 1937 and the title of Rao Bahadur. He is widely regarded as the father of Bakhra Dam. He co-founded the Jat Mahasabha and started a weekly newspaper, Jat Gazette.
Early life, education and personal life Ram Richpal Ohlyan was born on 24 November 1881, in Garhi Sampla, Rohtak district (then Punjab, now Haryana) in a Jat family to Chaudhary Sukhi Ram Singh and Sarla Devi. Nicknamed Chhotu Ram as he was youngest of his brothers, he grew up amidst agrarian distress caused by British colonial policies. At age 12, he attended middle school in Rohtak. In 1897, he joined Christian Mission School in Delhi, mastering English, a key skill in colonial India. He earned scholarships and enrolled at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1905. During his studies, he emerged as a student leader, organising a strike against the hostel warden to protest poor living conditions and advocate for better facilities. His leadership in subsequent agitations earned him the nickname “General Robert” for his commanding presence. “सर छोटू राम ने 1905 में दिल्ली के सेंट स्टीफंस कॉलेज में दाखिल लिया. यहां से ग्रेजुएशन करने के दौरान उन्होंने पहली बार क्रांति की मशाल जलाई. सर छोटू राम ने अन्य छात्रों के साथ मिलकर हॉस्टल के वार्डन के खिलाफ हड़ताल का ऐलान कर दिया. इतना ही नहीं, कॉलेज में छात्रों की सुविधाओं के लिए अब वह हर हड़ताल में आगे से आगे नजर आने लगे. इसकी वजह से कॉलेज में वो 'जनरल रॉबर्ट' के नाम से भी मशहूर हो गए. 1910 में उन्होंने आगरा कॉलेज से एलएलबी की डिग्री हासिल की थी.”
Parts of his education were funded by philanthropist Seth Chhaju Ram Lamba. He worked as a personal secretary and superintendent of education department in Kalakankar State of Raja Rampal Singh. He then shifted to Agra and pursued his degree in law from Law College, Agra in 1911 and practised law firstly at Agra and then at Rohtak. “His father, Chaudhary Sukhi Ram, owned a small piece of land and was a petty businessman. While he was nine years old, Chhotu Ram joined the primary school in a neighbouring village Sampla, completed his primary education in 1895 and went to Jhajjar where he won a merit scholarship in his middle school examination. He passed his matriculation from the Mission High School in 1899, and graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, in 1905. He worked as an Assistant Private Secretary to Raja Ram Pal Singh of Kalakankar State (U.P.) for about six months, in 1905. Thereafter, he joined the Law College, Lahore, but also worked as a teacher in the Ragmahal High School, Lahore, simultaneously. He went to U.P. again and served Raja Ram Pal Singh as his Private Secretary, and Superintendent in the Education Department in Kalakankar State. He later shifted to Agra and worked as a teacher in St. John’s Mission High School about 1908. In 1911 he took the law degree from the Law College at Agra. He practised law first at Agra, and later at Rohtak. When he was about eleven years old, Chhotu Ram was married to Giano Devi. While young, Chhotu Ram was attracted to the Arya Samaj which had a powerful hold in his area. At school he had launched a strike against his school authorities, and earned the title of ‘General Roberts’ because of the qualities of leadership which he had demonstrated. He was drawn to the Indian National Congress in 1916 and was President of the District Congress Committee, Rohtak, in 1917-20. He severed his association with the Congress due to differences with the leadership over the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. He rejected the ideas of non-payment of taxes and defiance of law. He was a moderate in politics, and supported only constitutional methods for the achievement of Dominion Status.” He was also influenced by the Arya Samaj and joined the Indian National Congress in 1916 and was president of district congress committee of Rohtak from 1917 to 1920. He severed his relations with the Congress party due to differences with the leadership over the Non-cooperation movement in 1920. He was around eleven years of age, when he married Giano Devi. He had at least one daughter, Bhagwani Devi, whose son, Birender Singh, became a politician. Chhotu Ram lived simply, maintaining his Jat roots, dressing traditionally, and prioritising public service over personal leisure. His empathy for farmers earned him the title Deenbandhu (Friend of the Poor). The title was given to him during an event on Vaisakhi after the allotment of land to Scheduled Castes in 1938, while the title of Rehbar-i-Azam was conferred upon him during a conference in Lyallpur in 1942.
Political career Chhotu Ram’s political career was defined by his commitment to the agrarian community and his pragmatic approach to navigating the complexities of colonial politics. His entry into politics began in 1916 when he joined the Indian National Congress, serving as the president of the Rohtak District Congress from 1917 to 1920. However, his tenure with the Congress was short-lived, because he perceived that Mahatma Gandhi neglected the issues of farmers during Non-cooperation movement.
In 1920, Chhotu Ram co-founded the Zamindaran Party, which later became the Unionist Party alongside Fazl-i-Hussain and Sikandar Hayat Khan. Unionist Party was a cross-communal political organisation that sought to represent the interests of Punjab’s agrarian communities, and had the support of Hindus, Muslim Jats, and Sikh Jats. “Chaudhary Chhotu Ram left the Congress because he came to the conclusion that Mahatma Gandhi’s non-co-operation movement neglected the farmers. Along with Sir Fazle-Hussein and Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, he launched the Zamindaran Party, which later became the Unionist Party, which had the support of Hindu and Muslim Jats, Sikh Jats and a vast majority of zamindars of all communities.” The party’s ideology was rooted in agrarianism, advocating for policies that protected farmers from exploitative moneylenders, ensured fair land revenue systems, and promoted rural development.
In the 1937 provincial elections in Punjab, his Unionist party emerged victorious and Chhotu Ram became revenue minister on 1 April 1937, and held this position till his death in January 1945. Chhotu Ram was the driving force behind the Bhakra Dam project, a vision to transform the Sutlej River into a lifeline for farmers through irrigation and power. He signed an agreement with the Raja of Bilaspur in November 1944, finalised on 8 January 1945 and due to this reason he was regarded as father of Bakhra Dam. “Not even one per cent of Indians know that it was Chhotu Ram who conceived the idea of building the Bhakra Dam. He had the Punjab government to sign an agreement with the Raja of Bilaspur, who had the right to the waters of the river Sutlej. The agreement was signed a few months before he died.” “The father of Bhakra Dam, Sir Chhotu Ram, has many firsts to his credit. He conceived of the Bhakra Dam way back in 1923, to rid the farmers of the so-called economic plague-spots of erstwhile Punjab state.”
Chhotu Ram’s political views were shaped by his belief that the economic empowerment of farmers was essential for India’s progress. He argued that the british colonial system disproportionately burdened small farmers, who were trapped in cycles of debt and poverty. His advocacy for agrarian reforms was revolutionary for its time, as it challenged the entrenched power of moneylenders and urban elites. He also emphasised inter-community harmony, recognising that Punjab’s diverse population—comprising Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.
Chhotu Ram played an important role in agricultural reforms in India during the 1930s. He introduced the concept of compensating farmers for their farming expenses, which later developed into the ‘Minimum Support Price’ system. He was involved in enacting nine laws aimed at improving the financial and social conditions of farmers. Notable legislation included the Punjab Relief of Indebtedness Act, 1934, and the Punjab Debtors’ Protection Act, 1936. These laws introduced measures such as debt settlement boards, interest rate limits, and protections for tillers.
As a member of the Punjab Legislative Council, Chhotu Ram held various portfolios, including agriculture and revenue, during the 1930s and 1940s. His significant legislative contributions included:
Punjab Land Alienation Act (1900): While Chhotu Ram did not draft this act, he was a staunch supporter of its principles, which restricted the transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists, protecting farmers from losing land to moneylenders.
Punjab Restitution of Mortgaged Lands Act (1938): This legislation, championed by Chhotu Ram, allowed farmers to reclaim lands lost to moneylenders by repaying only the principal amount of their loans, without exorbitant interest. “The greatest act in his political career was to introduce the Punjab Restitution of Mortgaged Land Act. As a consequence, millions of acres of land were repossessed by paying a pittance.”
Mandi Samiti Act (1940): This act established regulated markets (mandis) to ensure fair prices for farmers’ produce, reducing exploitation by middlemen.
His commitment to secularism and inter-community cooperation was evident in his leadership of the Unionist Party, which balanced the interests of Punjab’s diverse communities. However, the rise of communal politics in the 1940s, fuelled by the Muslim League and the demand for Pakistan, challenged the Unionist Party’s cross-communal model, contributing to its decline after Chhotu Ram’s death.
Writing career Chhotu Ram was also a writer in pre-independent India, using essays, pamphlets, articles, and poetry to advocate for farmers’ rights. His works, rooted in his Jat heritage, were clear, accessible, and empathetic, aimed at educating rural communities and influencing British colonial policy.
He established and edited the Jat Gazette, a Hindi weekly newspaper launched in 1916 in Rohtak, which championed agrarian interests. He edited this newspaper until 1924 and wrote influential columns, including the seventeen-part Bechara Zamindar, later compiled as a book, highlighting small farmers’ economic struggles. The Gazette, a tool for social change, unified Jat identity and drew colonial scrutiny. “The Jat Gazette, a weekly newspaper, was started in Rohtak in 1916. It was a part of the Zamindar League and was under the patronage of the Unionist Party. It was most prevalent in Rohtak district when the Unionist Party was in power in Punjab. For some time this letter was sent free of cost to the villagers. The newspaper supported the cause of the rural population, especially the farmers.”