Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal passes away

Chandigarh: Five-time Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passed away at a hospital in Mohali on Tuesday, according to hospital officials and party sources.

The 95-year-old was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali over a week ago after he complained of uneasiness in breathing.

"Mr Badal passed away 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 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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described his demise as a "personal loss" and said he was a colossal figure in Indian politics who contributed greatly to the nation. "Extremely saddened by the passing away of Shri Parkash Singh Badal Ji. He was a colossal figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation," Modi said in a tweet.

Badal worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and anchored the state through critical times, the prime minister said. "Parkash Singh Badal's passing away is a personal loss for me. I have interacted closely with him for many decades and learnt so much from him."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Badal played a significant role in Punjab's politics for decades and made several noteworthy contributions towards the welfare of farmers and other weaker sections of the society. "Badal Sahab was the son of soil who remained connected to his roots, all his life. I fondly remember my interactions with him on several issues," he added.

Grand old man of Punjab politics

Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from 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 the 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 overnight and chose Badal as their leader on March 27, 1970, and formed a government with the support of Jan Sangh.

But owing to constant squabbles and infighting, he advised the governor on June 13, 1971, to dissolve the Assembly.

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.

His government passed the Punjab Women and Children Development and Welfare Corporation Bill, 1979  to ensure the development of women and children in the state. 

He was again elected to the state assembly in June 1980 and September 1985 elections from the Gidderbaha assembly constituency. 

Badal courted arrest during Operation Bluestar in June 1984 when the Army had entered the Golden Temple complex at Amritsar to flush out militants.

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 the 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.

During this tenure, his government took the decision of providing free electricity and waiving land revenue for farmers. Badal was re-elected from the 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.

Deteriorating health

The grand old man of Punjab politics has not been keeping well for the past few years. He was hospitalised in June last year following complaints related to gastritis and bronchial asthma.

Before that, in February 2022, he was taken to a private hospital in Mohali for a post-Covid health examination during which he underwent cardiac and pulmonary check-ups. He tested positive for COVID-19 in January last year and was admitted to a hospital in Ludhiana.

The Fortis Hospital in its bulletin issued on Tuesday evening said, "S Parkash Singh Badal, Former Chief Minister of Punjab, was admitted at Fortis Hospital Mohali on 16th April 2023 with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. He was shifted to the medical ICU on 18th April as his respiratory condition worsened." 

"He had been on NIV (non-invasive ventilation) and HFNC (high-flow nasal cannula) support along with medical management. He was being managed under Prof (Dr) Digambar Behera along with the Pulmonology and critical care team supported by Cardiology," it said.

Hospital sources said his health condition suddenly deteriorated during the day on Tuesday.

(With PTI inputs)