Parkash Singh Badal's death, a former Punjab Chief Minister and veteran Akali Dal leader, is a great loss not only to Punjab but also to the nation. Parkash Singh Badal was a prominent political figure in the country since its independence. Despite the fact that his distinguished public service career was mostly limited to Punjab, he was well-regarded throughout the country. His passing has left a void. He was a towering figure in Indian politics and a remarkable statesman who contributed significantly to our country. He worked tirelessly for Punjab's advancement and assisted the state during difficult times. The announcement by the central government of two days of state mourning across India to honour the veteran politician is a thoughtful gesture.
Parkash Singh Badal, the patriarch of the Shiromani Akali Dal, grew up wanting to be a patwari but went on to become the Chief Minister of Punjab five times. Beginning his political career as a village sarpanch in 1952, Badal rose to become the country's youngest Chief Minister at the age of 43 in 1970. In 2012, he also held the record for being the oldest Chief Minister. His death, following a brief illness, marked the end of an era in politics in which he was involved in almost every movement and decision made in the post-independence period.
Badal began as a foot soldier and led every morcha (front) in which he participated throughout his life. He would frequently surprise party workers and others in remote villages by addressing them by their first names. Badal popularised Sangat Darshan, a public outreach programme that many other political parties attempted to emulate. Badal, who was polite to a fault, used to call police and civil officials as early as 5:30 a.m. about some news he had read in the day's newspaper.
Badal never retired from public life and frequently advised young leaders to keep in touch with rival politicians or those who had been sidelined.
He was instrumental in transforming the Shiromani Akali Dal into a party for all communities based on the Punjab, Punjabi, and Punjabiyat models, rather than just a party focused on Sikhs and Sikh issues.
Simultaneously, he was at the forefront of the movement opposing the sharing of Punjab's river water with other states. He was imprisoned during the Emergency, led many morchas, including the movement for Punjabi Suba (statehood), and was involved in many others.
During the Janata Dal government, he briefly entered national politics but quickly returned to state politics. His final years were marred by controversies, such as the sacrilege incidents that occurred while he was Chief Minister in 2015. SAD suffered its worst defeat in history, winning only three of the 117 Assembly seats.
Unfortunately, much of Badal's political acumen and life lessons died with him because he refused to write an autobiography or agree to a biography, despite the advice of friends and family members.
