Former five-time Chief Minister of Punjab and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passed away in Mohali district on Tuesday. Known for his humility and simplicity, his demise was mourned by leaders across the country. The veteran leader had been keeping unwell for some time and was admitted to Fortis Hospital in Mohali a week ago after he complained of breathlessness.
Confirming his death, the director of the hospital, Abhijeet Singh, said, “Badal passed away around eight o’clock in the night.” The hospital issued a medical bulletin shortly after which said, “Despite appropriate medical management, S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness. Fortis Hospital Mohali deeply condoles the death of S Parkash Singh Badal. “
Badal was the Chief Minister of Punjab five times.
During his long political career, Badal served as the Chief Minister of the state five times – 1970–71, 1977–80, 1997–2002, 2007–12 and 2012–17. At 94, Badal last year became the country’s oldest candidate to contest the state election when he contested for the 13th time but could not retain his stronghold of Lambi in Muktsar district, in a political career of over seven only the second defeat of the decade. During the 2022 state elections, the SAD patriarch had said that he wanted to serve the people till his last breath.
Reaction of leaders on death of veteran leader
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described his demise as a “personal loss” and said that he was a towering figure of Indian politics who contributed immensely to the nation. In a tweet, Modi said, “Deeply saddened by the passing away of Shri Parkash Singh Badal ji. He was a towering figure in Indian politics and a remarkable statesman who contributed immensely to our country.” The Prime Minister said that Badal worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and supported the state in difficult times. “The passing away of Prakash Singh Badal is a personal loss for me. I have interacted closely with him for several decades and learned a lot from him.”
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that Badal played an important role in the politics of Punjab for decades and made many notable contributions towards the welfare of farmers and other weaker sections of the society. He said, “Badal sahib was a son of the soil, who remained attached to his roots throughout his life. I remember conversations with him on many issues.”
Brush off politics before and tenure as CM
Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana near Malot, Badal graduated from Foreman Christian College, Lahore. His political journey began in 1947 when he became the ‘sarpanch’ (village head) of Badal village in Bathinda district. After this he became the chairman of the block committee. He became an MLA for the first time in 1957 when he was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Malout constituency as a Congress member. He then moved to the Gidderbaha assembly seat from where he was elected as an MLA on an Akali Dal ticket during the 1969 mid-term elections. When the then Chief Minister Gurnam Singh joined the Congress, the Akali Dal members reorganized themselves overnight and elected Badal as their leader on 27 March 1970 and formed the government with the support of the Jana Sangh.
But due to constant quarrels and infighting, he advised the governor to dissolve the assembly on June 13, 1971. Badal was re-elected in the 1972 elections, but became Leader of the Opposition as the Shiromani Akali Dal failed to form a government. Badal was chief minister for 15 months in 1970–71 and 32 months in 1977–1980. During the 1977 elections, he again won from the Gidderbaha constituency and became the Chief Minister of the Akali-Janata Party government. His government passed the Punjab Women and Child Development and Welfare Corporation Bill, 1979 to ensure the development of women and children in the state.
He was re-elected to the state assembly in June 1980 and September 1985 from the Gidderbaha constituency. Badal courted arrest in June 1984 during Operation Bluestar, when the army entered the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar to flush out terrorists. He refused to become Deputy Chief Minister under Surjit Singh Barnala after the 1985 elections and later left the party as the rift widened. In 1986, Badal formed the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal). Badal was elected as an MLA in 1997 after being shifted to the Lambi constituency and became the chief minister on 12 February that year as the leader of the SAD-BJP government.
During this tenure, his government decided to give free electricity to farmers and waive off land revenue. Badal was re-elected in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 from the Long seat. In 1967, he lost the Gidderbaha seat to Harcharan Singh Brar of the Congress by a margin of just 57 votes. This was his first electoral defeat. The second one came last year. The veteran leader of Punjab politics is not doing well for the last few years. He was admitted to the hospital in June last year after complaining of gastritis and bronchial asthma.
Badal’s declining health: a matter of concern
Earlier, in February 2022, he was taken to a private hospital in Mohali for post-Covid health check-up, during which he underwent cardiac and pulmonary check-up. He had tested positive for Covid in January last year and was admitted to a hospital in Ludhiana. In its bulletin released on Tuesday evening, Fortis Hospital said, “Former Chief Minister of Punjab S Parkash Singh Badal was admitted to Fortis Hospital Mohali on 16th April 2023 with acute exacerbation of Bronchial Asthma. He was shifted to Medical ICU on 18th.” His respiratory condition worsened in April.”
“He was on NIV (non-invasive ventilation) and HFNC (high-flow nasal cannula) support with medical management. He was being managed under Prof (Dr) Digambar Behera with pulmonology and critical care team supported by cardiology It said. Hospital sources said that his health suddenly deteriorated during the day on Tuesday.
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