Parkash Singh Badal, All About The 'Colossal Figure Of Indian Politics' Who Leaves Behind A Rich Legacy
Parkash Singh Badal's political career had been marked by his commitment to the welfare of the people of his state.
Born on December 8, 1927, in Punjab's Abul Khurana village, Badal had been active in Indian politics for over five decades. He was the Chief Minister of Punjab for five times. His political career had been marked by his commitment to the welfare of the people of his state.
Youngest Legislator In Punjab Assembly
Badal first became a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1957 and was the youngest legislator in the Punjab Assembly at the age of 29. He was first appointed as Chief Minister of Punjab in 1970, and his term focused on the development of rural areas in the state. He was again elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab in 1977, after a period of Emergency, and his term focused on strengthening the cooperative movement in Punjab.
Badal's Political Career
Parkash Singh Badal began his political career in the 1950s as a member of the Akali Dal party. He was born on December 8, 1927, in the village of Abul Khurana in the Punjab province. He was elected chief minister of Punjab for the first time in 1970, after holding multiple positions as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Punjab.
Parkash Singh Badal served as the chief minister of Punjab from 1970-71, from 1977-80 and from 2007-2017. He was additionally the most youngest politician to have at any point hold the office of CM in Punjab.
At 89 years old, Badal, who was the CM in the previous SAD-BJP government, had defeated former chief minister in the 2017 assembly elections from Lambi by 22,770 votes. In 1970, Badal, then 43, became Punjab chief minister for the first time. The feat was accomplished in 1977, 1997, 2007, and 2012. In the Punjab assembly in 1972, 1980, and 2002, he remained a opposition leader. For less than three months, Badal served as the agriculture minister for the Union.
When Badal Outsmarted AAP Leaders With Hospitality
When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) surrounded Parkash Singh Badal's house in May 2016 due to concerns about farmer suicides and an alleged Rs 12,000-crore wheat scam, Badal emerged from his residence with his hands folded. Badal surprised everyone by inviting them to talk over lunch.
He said that if his guests refused to eat, he couldn't eat by himself. The AAP volunteers made a movement towards him, and the police ventured back, leaving any intentions of a lathi-charge or arrest. The barricades were taken down and the trucks that were supposed to arrest the protesters were sent away.
However, political rivalry persisted the following day, and Badal criticized the AAP, claiming that the party had betrayed the Punjabi people on river waters by engaging in politics of deception, fraud, and cheap stunts.
Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum..
In recognition of the contributions that Parkash Singh Badal made to the Shiromani Akali Dal and Punjab Chief Minister during his lengthy political career, Sri Akal Takhat Sahib bestowed upon him on December 11, 2011, the title of "Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum" in the grounds of the Golden temple.
Longest-Serving Prisoner In The World After Nelson Mandela
After South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, Parkash Singh Badal is the longest political prisoner in the world.
Badal was booked for a civil liberty agitation and spent nearly 17 years in jail as a political prisoner. He was detained during the Emergency (1975-1977) and during the Dharam Yudh Morcha era of Punjab in the 1980s, fighting for the rights of Punjab and its people. Mandela remained in confinement for 27 years.
Amarinder Singh, a former chief minister of Punjab, has argued, however, that Badal has only been imprisoned for about five years in his 67-year political career.
"Badal did not spend more than five years in jail. Actually, he spent just 18 months in jail and that was during emergency (1975-77), and rest of the time was spent comfortably in state guest houses and the entire time period does not add up to even five years," Amarinder Singh, who comes from the erstwhile royal family of Patiala and is a bitter critic of Badal, said, according to the reports of IANS.
Amarinder stated that Badal's claim that he is the country's longest political prisoner is an "absolute lie" and that there is no evidence to support it.
Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira also made fun of Badal's claim that he spent 17 years in prison for the sake of the rights of the people of Punjab. Khaira challenged Badal to prove this claim.
According to HT, Khaira said, "Akali leaders like Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Simranjit Singh Mann had spent much more time in prison than Badal, who actually did not spend more than four years if we recount history."
"I ask Badal to prove the total period of 17 years in jail as claimed by him. Most of his jail term, which does not cross four years in all, was in comfort zones when leaders like Tohra, Mann and my father (Sukhjinder Singh) were kept in isolated cells for months together."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi grieved the former Punjab CM's death. "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," he 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. pic.twitter.com/YtD9xKsos2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2023
Parkash Singh Badal is survived by his wife Surinder Kaur Badal, son Sukhbir Singh Badal, and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
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