Ex-Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal passes away

CHANDIGARH,

FIVE-TIME former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, known for his winsome humility and strong rural roots, died on Tuesday. He was 95. Badal, who had not been keeping well for sometime, was admitted to Mohali’s Fortis Hospital over a week ago after he complained of uneasiness in breathing.

“Badal passed away at around 8 pm,” hospital Director Abhijeet Singh told PTI over the phone.

The hospital issued a medical bulletin shortly afterwards in which it 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.” During his long political career, Badal served the State as Chief Minister for 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 fight a State election when he entered the electoral battle for the 13th time but could not save his pocket borough of Lambi in Muktsar district, only second defeat in a political career spanning more than seven decades. During the 2022 State polls, the SAD patriarch had said he wanted to serve people till his last breath.

Born on December 8, 1927 in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from the Forman Christian College, Lahore. His political journey began in 1947 when he became the ‘Sarpanch’ (village head) of Badal village, then in Bathinda district. Thereafter, he became the chairman of the block samiti. He became an MLA for the first time in 1957 when he was elected to the Punjab 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 a SAD ticket during the 1969 mid-term poll. When Gurnam Singh, the then Chief Minister, defected to the Congress, the SAD members regrouped themselves overnight and chose Badal as their leader on March 27, 1970 and formed a government with the support of the Jan Sangh.