Gurugram, June 17
A political storm is brewing in Ahirwal over the title ‘Rao’. What began as a statement by a legislator has snowballed into one of south Haryana’s sharpest identity disputes, pitting a Cabinet minister against a Union minister’s family legacy.
The controversy ignited when Narnaul MLA Om Prakash Yadav claimed that the right to use ‘Rao’ as title belongs exclusively to the family of Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. “The title was conferred on Rao Inderjit Singh’s ancestors, and his family has undivided rights over it. Rao Inderjit Singh has helped Rao Narbir Singh multiple times,” Yadav said, drawing an immediate and pointed rebuttal.
Haryana Cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh hit back, producing, what he called, ‘documentary proof’ from the British era. “We have an official British period document that records that the then Viceroy conferred the title ‘Rao’ on my grandfather on June 14, 1945. My family has been using the title for decades, and has justified it with service to the community and the state,” said Narbir Singh. He also rejected any suggestion of political debt to Rao Inderjit Singh’s camp. “I have never sought his support in any election. I have built my own identity,” he stated.
Rao Inderjit Singh, meanwhile, has not commented on the issue. Historically, ‘Rao’ is not a caste surname, but a title of distinction conferred for valour, administrative ability and feudal contribution across communities, including Rajputs, Ahir-Yadavs and Maratha sardars. In Ahirwal, the title carries heft, given the towering legacy of Rao Tula Ram — the region’s celebrated freedom fighter of 1857 whose name commands reverence.
Inderjit real ‘Rao’
The right to use ‘Rao’ as title belongs exclusively to the family of Rao Inderjit Singh. The title was conferred on his ancestors and his family. — Om Prakash Yadav, Narnaul MLA
Conferred by Viceroy
We have an official British period document that records that the Viceroy conferred the title on my grandfather in 1945. My family has been using it for decades. — Rao Narbir Singh, state cabinet minister
