Parkash Singh Badal, former five-time Chief Minister of Punjab and mentor of the Akali Dal, died on Tuesday at a private hospital in Mohali. He was 95 years old.
“Despite appropriate medical management, S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness. Fortis Hospital Mohali deeply condoles the demise of S Parkash Singh Badal,” a statement from the hospital said.
Hospital director Abhijit Singh told news agency PTI that the Punjab leader passed away around 8 pm.
The former chief minister was admitted to Fortis Hospital in Mohali a week ago after he complained of breathlessness.
As a Congressman, serving as a village sarpanch, the veteran leader moved up the political ladder before contesting assembly elections for the first time in 1957, when he was 30 years old.
Parkash Singh Badal was the youngest Chief Minister to hold the post in the state of Punjab. He was 43 years old.
In a career spanning over seven decades, he lost only two elections – one in 1967, and the latest in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. The loss was particularly acute as they lost their stronghold of Lambi, which they held for several decades.
He courted arrest in June 1984 during Operation Bluestar, when the army entered the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar to flush out terrorists.
His party broke ties with the BJP in 2020 over the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s new agricultural laws. Parkash Singh Badal returned his Padma Vibhushan award – the country’s second highest civilian award that he received from the government in 2015 – in protest against the central government’s treatment of the protesting farmers.
The Akali Dal leader strongly opposed the idea of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, which aimed to share the river’s water with the neighboring state of Haryana.
Under his leadership, the state assembly passed the controversial Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (Transfer of Ownership Rights) Bill, 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the leader from Punjab, calling him “a towering figure of Indian politics and a remarkable statesman”.
Deeply saddened by the demise of Shri Prakash Singh Badal ji. He was a towering figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our country. He worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and supported the state in difficult times. pic.twitter.com/scx2K7KMCq
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2023
“Extremely 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. He worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and spent a significant amount of time I supported the state.” PM Modi tweeted along with his picture with the veteran leader.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh termed the demise of the veteran leader as a “personal loss”.
Shri Parkash Singh Badal ji was a political stalwart who played an important role in the politics of Punjab for several decades. In his long political and administrative career, he made many notable contributions towards the welfare of farmers and other weaker sections of our country…
– Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 25, 2023
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed deep condolences to Badal’s family.
Kharge tweeted, “Though we differed in our ideologies, he earned immense respect among the people of Punjab for his simplicity and loyalty to his cadre, as he served as chief minister several times.”
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “I express my deepest condolences to all the members and supporters of Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal, including his bereaved family.”
Parkash Singh Badal was born in Abul Khurana, Punjab, close to the Rajasthan border, and studied at Forman Christian College, Lahore.