New Delhi: Last rites of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) veteran and five-time chief minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, will be held at his native place Badal in the state's Muktsar district today. Badal passed away at the age of 95 at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday. He was admitted to the hospital seven days back and was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Friday.
Parkash Singh Badal’s mortal remains were kept at the SAD office in Chandigarh for paying last respects from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Wednesday following which they were taken to his native village. Leaders across political lines condoled the death of Badal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Chandigarh to pay his last respects, termed his demise as a “personal loss” and said he was a colossal figure of Indian politics who contributed greatly to the nation.
Talking about the security arrangement ahead of the former chief minister’s cremation, Vineet Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Sri Muktsar Sahib said, “Admin will make all efforts to see that the last rites take place well. All arrangements have been made. There will be proper security. Work related to the cremation ground is underway. Helipad, roads are being repaired. All preparations are in place for the CM and all ministers who will come.”
The cremation will take place at 1pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, thousands of people lined the route to catch a glimpse of the SAD veteran’s coffin that began its journey from Chandigarh to his ancestral village. A flower-decked ambulance, carrying the coffin, was driven by Bikram Majithia, with Sukhbir Badal, son of the senior leader, sitting next to him. Other family members, including Sukhbir's estranged cousin Manpreet Badal, were sitting beside the coffin.
After the ‘kirtan and ardas' in the SAD headquarters in Chandigarh, Badal’s mortal remains were placed in the specially decorated ambulance amidst slogans of ‘Panth te Punjab Da Rakha’, ‘S Parkash Singh Badal Amar Rahe' or ‘Long Live Badal’.
Thousands of Akali workers joined the procession to take the mortal remains of their beloved leader for cremation to Badal village.
In view of the procession, lay-bys and access roads along the entire 250-km route were temporarily closed.
"A sad and poignant moment as Badal Saab leaves for his final journey," said a mourner in Patiala city. Another mourner added, "Bade (elderly) Badal saab was not a politician, but a statesman who fought to save the peasantry and the state's agrarian economy."
The procession was met with mourners in each town and village the cavalcade drove through. Some threw petals, while others pointed their phone cameras at the passing vehicles.
A sea of people, comprising political leaders cutting across party lines and dignitaries, are expected to attend the cremation today.
Parkash Singh Badal was born on December 8, 1927 in Muktsar. He was elected as the village sarpanch at the age of 20, as a MLA for the first time in 1957 and he became the chief minister for the first time in 1970 at the age of 43.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government has declared national mourning on Wednesday and Thursday following Badal's demise. Badal also served as a Union Minister in the late 1970s.