Jagiri Lal Sareen

Jagiri Lal Sareen (born 1921, Pakistan) was a member of the Indian National Congress from the Ajnala region of Punjab. He lived in the village of Jairamkot near Ajnala after the partition of India in 1947. He held the position of chairman of the market committee in Ajnala for 21 years. He is now retired from active politics. His son, Dharam Bir Sareen, was twice elected as Municipal Councilor from Amritsar and also served as the chairman of the market committee in Amritsar. Another son, Kuldip Raj Sareen, has held many positions in the organizational structure of the Indian National Congress in the region.

Jagiri Lal Sareen began his political career at the age of 23, when he was elected as Nambardar (record keeper) of the village of Jairamkot in 1944. He moved to Ajnala in 1948, and was elected Member of the Gram Panchayat. In 1954 he was elected as the Sarpanch (head) of the Gram Panchayat of Ajnala. During the same period he became the member of the Block Samiti when Ajnala was changed into a Block.

He was in charge of the elections fought by S. Harcharan Singh Ajnala, the MLA from Ajnala at the time. Harcharan relied on Lal for all the rural votes as he was able to rally the masses in the rural areas in Ajnala. Being a close associate of Harcharan and S. Beant Singh (former Chief Minister of Punjab who joined the Congress Party in the 1970s), he was nominated as the chairman of Market committee in the 1970s and held that post for 21 years.

As Lal started his career from a grassroots level worker of the party, but was lured by Parkash Singh Badal to join the Shiromani Akali Dal party after the demise of his political guru Beant Singh and his close associate, S. Harcharan Singh Ajnala. He remained part of the Congress.

In 1991, when Ajnala was made a notified area, he was nominated as the President of the Notified Area committee. Around the same time he was nominated as the vice-President of the District Congress Committee Amritsar (Rural). The Indian National Congress Party appointed his son Kuldip Raj Sareen as General Secretary of the District Congress Committee Amritsar (Rural) during the same period. His grandson Rohit Sareen (a software engineer by profession) served as Vice President of The Youth Congress, Ajnala and as General Secretary, Youth Congress Amritsar during 2002–2006.

In 1996 Jagiri Lal was made the President of the Block Congress Committee, Ajnala. In 2001 he received the City Father award from the residents of Ajnala.