Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch and former five-time chief minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal passed away on Tuesday at a private hospital in Mohali.
He was 95.
Badal is survived by son and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter Parneet Kaur, who is married to former Punjab Cabinet minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon.
“Mr Badal passed away at around 8 pm,” said Abhijeet Singh, director of Mohali's Fortis Hospital, where Badal was admitted a few days ago with complaints of uneasiness in breathing.
“S Parkash Singh Badal, former Chief Minister of Punjab, was admitted at Fortis Hospital Mohali on April 16, 2023, with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. He was shifted to the medical ICU on April 18 as his respiratory condition worsened,” the hospital said.
PM condoles PS Badal's death
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the demise of the five-time chief minister as a “personal loss”. “Extremely saddened by the passing away of Shri Parkash Singh Badal Ji. He was a colossal figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation,” Modi said in a tweet.
“Shri Prakash Singh Badal ji was a political stalwart who played a significant role in Punjab politics for many decades. In his long political and administrative career, he made several noteworthy contributions towards the welfare of farmers and other weaker sections of our society,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.
Tributes pour in from entire country
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expressed grief and recalled the services rendered by Badal as chief minister and as a minister in the Union Cabinet, terming him an able administrator and above all, a fine human being with qualities of head and heart.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the former chief minister was a political stalwart in his own rights.
“Badal was a man of integrity, wisdom, and compassion, who devoted his life to the service of our people. He was a true son of Punjab, who worked tirelessly to promote the interests of our state and its people,” Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit said.
Badal's illustrious journey in politics
The SAD stalwart, who has been a legislator 11 times, had contested the Lambi seat during the February 2022 Assembly elections but lost. It was his 13th contest since he won Malout seat in undivided Punjab in 1957.
In 1970, he had set a record by becoming the youngest chief minister. He was also the state’s oldest chief minister, having been sworn in as one at the age of 84 in 2012.
Sarpanch of village Badal in 1947
Badal began his political career as the sarpanch of village Badal in 1947 and won Malout seat in 1957 as a Congress candidate in undivided Punjab.
After the bifurcation of Punjab in 1966, he contested as a candidate of the Akali Das Sant Fateh Singh group but was defeated by Harcharan Singh Brar of the Congress. This was Badal’s only defeat. He has since 1969 contested as SAD candidate and won. He won from Gidderbaha seat five times in a row since 1965 and Lambi for as many times since 1997. He had also defeated the then Congress chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh in 2017 in Lambi by about 22,000 votes.
