Parkash Singh Badal, one of the eldest politicians and five-time Punjab chief minister died at 95 at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday. He is survived by a son and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and a daughter Parneet Kaur. Punjab lost its eldest political stalwart whose politics revolved around the interest of the state. He has been the epicenter of the state politics in the last 4 decades regardless he was in power or in Opposition.
Oldest person to contest in election
Badal was not the one to give up easily, on life or on politics. He was a hardcore political animal. He remained on political battle ground even at the age of 94. Only last year, the Shiromani Akal Dal fielded the patriarch again from home turf Lambi in Punjab’s Muktsar district for the assembly elections. However, he lost but entered the record books for being the oldest person to fight an election in the country. This was his 14th electoral battle in a long political career that began when he became the sarpanch of Badal village in Bathinda district.
Badal had been part of the movement for a separate Punjabi-speaking state. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading 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 MLA 11 times, losing an election for the state assembly only twice. In 1977, he joined Morarji Desai’s government briefly as the Agriculture minister at the Centre.
In 2008, Badal handed over the reins of the SAD, which he had headed from 1995, to son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also became the deputy chief minister under him.
Political journey
Born on December 8, 1927 in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from the Forman Christian College in Lahore. His first political posts were the sarpanch of Badal village and the chairman of the block samiti. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as the Congress nominee. In 1969, he won the Gidderbaha assembly seat on the SAD ticket.
When Gurnam Singh, the then chief minister, defected to the Congress in 1970, the SAD regrouped and forming the government with the support of the Jana Sangh.
When Gurnam Singh, the then chief minister, defected to the Congress in 1970, the SAD regrouped and forming the government with the support of the Jana Sangh. Badal then became the chief minister in the country, even if the coalition government lasted just a little more than a year. In 2017, when he ended his last stint as CM, he was among the oldest to have held that post.
Badal was re-elected in the 1972 elections, but as the SAD could not form a government, he became the leader of the Opposition. Badal was chief minister for 15 months in 1970-71 and for 32 months in 1977-1980.
During the 1977 elections, he again won from the Gidderbaha constituency and became the chief minister of the SAD-Janata Party government.
He was again elected to the state assembly in June 1980 and September 1985 elections from Gidderbaha assembly constituency.
Badal courted arrest during the Operation Bluestar in June 1984 when the Army had entered the Golden Temple complex at Amritsar to flush out militants.
Formation of SAD
He refused to become the deputy chief minister under Surjit Singh Barnala after the 1985 elections and later quit the party as the rift widened. In 1986, Badal formed Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).
Badal after shifting to Lambi constituency was elected legislator in 1997 and became the chief minister on February 12 that year as the leader of the SAD-BJP government.
In this tenure, his government took the decision of providing free electricity and waiving land revenue for farmers. Badal was re-elected from Lambi seat in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017.
In 1967, he lost the Gidderbaha seat to Congress' Harcharan Singh Brar by a margin of just 57 votes. This was his first electoral loss. The second came last year. He had been part of the movement for a separate Punjabi-speaking state. His government came under fire from the Opposition for the 2015 sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents.
Then became the youngest CM
Badal then became the youngest chief minister in the country, even if the coalition government lasted just a little more than a year. In 2017, when he ended his last stint as CM, he was among the oldest to have held that post.
Started free electricity scheme
Badal's governments focused on farmers. One key decision was introducing free electricity for agriculture. The Akali leader bitterly opposed the idea of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, meant to share river water with neighbouring Haryana.
Badal was arrested in 1982
In 1982, he was arrested for leading an agitation over the project, which is yet to become a reality due to Punjab’s continuing opposition.
Badal & SAD politicis
Under his leadership, the state assembly passed the controversial Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (Transfer of Proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016. This was aimed at stalling the progress on the project.
His party broke off ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party over the farmers’ agitation against the Centre new agri laws in 2020. He also returned the Padma Vibhushan award he received in 2015.
Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum row
Another award brought controversy in 2011. The Akal Takht conferred on him the title of ‘Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum’ – or the Pride of the Faith -- a move criticised by many.
Family members
Badal's wife Surinder Kaur Badal died of cancer in 2011. They had two children – Sukhbir Singh Badal, the heir to his political legacy, and Parneet Kaur, who is married to former minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal's wife is Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Badal's last rites
His last rites will take place Thursday afternoon at his native village Badal in Lambi in Muktsar, a party leader said.
The central government announced two days of state mourning on April 26 and 27 across India as a mark of respect to the former chief minister.
On the days of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half mast and there will be no official entertainment, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a communication to all states.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several central ministers and chief ministers and leaders cutting across party lines condoled his demise and hailed his immense contributions to the state as well as the country.
(With PTI input)
Also read- Former Chief Minister of Punjab and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passes away at 95
