Parkash Singh Badal: The Grand Old Man of Punjab Politics

Badal became CM for the first time in 1970, leading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He was also the CM in 1977–80, 1997–2002, 2007–12 and 2012–2017. He was an MLA 11 times, lost only twice. In 1977, he briefly joined Morarji Desai’s government at the Center as Agriculture Minister. Badal was a statesman who was loved and respected by all, including his political rivals.

Badal was born on 8 December 1927 at Abul Khurana near Malot. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as a Congress candidate. He won the Gidderbaha assembly seat in 1969 on an Akali Dal ticket. In 1970, when the then Chief Minister Gurnam Singh joined the Congress, the Akali Dal regrouped and formed a government with the support of the Jana Sangh.

Badal became the youngest CM of the country, even though the coalition government lasted just over a year. In 2017, when he ended his last term as CM, he was among the oldest people to hold that post.

Badal was re-elected in the 1972 elections but became Leader of the Opposition as the SAD could not form a government. He 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.

He was re-elected to the state assembly in June 1980 and September 1985 from the Gidderbaha constituency. In 1986, Badal formed the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).

Badal’s governments focused on the farmers. An important decision was to introduce free electricity for agriculture. His party broke ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2020 over the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s new agricultural laws. He also returned the Padma Vibhushan award he received in 2015.

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Badal was part of the movement for a separate Punjabi-speaking state. He strongly opposed the idea of ​​the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal, which was intended to share the river’s waters with neighboring Haryana. In 1982, he was arrested for leading an agitation over the project, which has yet to become a reality due to continued opposition from Punjab.

As a sign of tribute to the former chief minister, the central government has declared two days of state mourning across the country on 26 and 27 April. The funeral is scheduled for 1 pm on April 27.

(with agency inputs)