Ex-Punjab CM and Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passes away at 95

Former Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday. The 95-year-old veteran politician was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali more than a week ago after he complained of uneasiness while breathing.

Parkash Singh Badal was in the ICU when he breathed his last at 8:28 pm on Tuesday, reported India Today.

The confirmation of the SAD patron’s death was shared by the personal assistant of his son and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The veteran politician’s last rites will be performed in Bhatinda’s Badal village.

His mortal remains will be shifted from Mohali to Badal village on Wednesday morning.

In a medical bulletin issued after his death, the private hospital said, “Despite appropriate medical management S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness”.

“Parkash Singh Badal 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 and HFNC 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,” the hospital statement read.

The five-time former chief minister of Punjab was hospitalised in June last year also following complaints related to gastritis and bronchial asthma.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences on Parkash Singh Badal’s death and said that he was a colossal figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation.

WHO WAS PARKASH SINGH BADAL?

Parkash Singh Badal served as the chief minister of Punjab from 1970-71, from 1977-80 and from 2007-2017. He was also the youngest politician to have ever hold the office of CM in Punjab.

Born on December 8, 1927, in the village of Abul Khurana, Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal began his political career in the 1950s as a member of the Akali Dal party. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Punjab multiple times and was first elected as the chief minister of Punjab in 1970.

Parkash Singh Badal is survived by his wife Surinder Kaur Badal, son Sukhbir Singh Badal, and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal.