An artful politician with strong grassroots connect, Parkash Singh Badal was among Punjab's tallest leaders

New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI): A seasoned political leader who became the youngest chief minister and the oldest of a state in India, Parkash Singh Badal tirelessly worked for Punjab and anchored it through critical times.
He was among the most senior political figures in the country and had cross-party links.
Affable and approachable, he drew his strength from his connect with the common man. An agile and artful politician, Parkash Singh Badal balanced the core Panthic interests with a broader appeal that stretched across communities.
Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana, near Malout, Parkash Singh Badal was the patron of Shiromani Akali Dal before his death and led it as president from 1995 to 2008. He graduated from the Forman Christian College in Lahore.
The SAD leader was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award, in 2015.
Moderate in his views and even-tempered, Parkash Singh Badal served Punjab as Chief Minister five times and was among the state's tallest political leaders.
First elected to the Punjab state assembly in 1957, he was later elected MLA nine times. He became the Chief Minister of Punjab after he was re-elected to the Assembly in 1969.
Parkash Singh Badal created several records including being the youngest sarpanch in India. In 1970, he became the youngest Chief Minister of a state and in 2012, the oldest Chief Minister. He was Punjab CM from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002 and from 2007 to 2017 (two consecutive terms).
He was a key political leader during the dark days of militancy in Punjab and was among leaders who slowly steered the discourse towards moderation as several factions of Akali Dal came about. He strived for peace in the sensitive border state.
Politically astute, Badal worked for broadening SAD's appeal from a Panthic entity to being a party of all communities in Punjab. He built bridges with the BJP and SAD-BJP alliance and stormed to power in Punjab in the 1997 polls.
Parkash Singh Badal spent many years behind bars during agitations and for the rights of the people of Punjab during the Akali movement.
He was briefly with Congress during the initial period of his political life. He was jailed during the Emergency and fought Congress for most of his political life.
On December 11, 2011, Akal Takht bestowed upon him the title of Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum.
Parkash Singh Badal's son Sukhbir Badal was appointed party chief in 2008. The party suffered its worst electoral performance in the assembly polls last year when Aam Aadmi Party came to power. Parkash Singh Badal suffered a shock defeat from the traditional seat of Lambi in the 2022 assembly polls.
SAD was also part of the BJP-led government at the Centre before it withdrew from National Democratic Alliance over the farm laws which were later repealed.
PM Modi lauded Parkash Singh Badal as 'Nelson Mandela of India' at an event in 2015 to mark Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan's birth anniversary for long years he had spent in jail for "political reasons"
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid glowing tributes to the Akali leader saying he was a colossal figure of Indian politics.
The Prime Minister also said he had interacted closely with the SAD leader for many decades and "learnt so much from him".
"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. He worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and anchored the state through critical times," PM Modi said.
"Shri 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. I recall our numerous conversations, in which his wisdom was always clearly seen. Condolences to his family and countless admirers," he added. (ANI)