Thousands pay homage to Badal, PM pays floral tributes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid floral tributes to Parkash Singh Badal at the Shiromani Akali Dal office here as scores of people and political leaders assembled to pay homage to the five-time Punjab chief minister.
Badal had not been keeping well and was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali near here on April 16 after he complained of uneasiness in breathing. He died on Tuesday aged 95.
The Punjab government has declared a holiday on Thursday as a mark of respect to the former chief minister.
According to an official order, all government offices, departments, boards, corporations and educational institutions in the state will remain shut on Thursday. The central government has already announced two days of state mourningon April 26 and 27 across India as a mark of respect to the former chief minister.
The mortal remains of the SAD patriarch, who straddled Punjab politics for over seven decades, were brought to the party head office here in an ambulance.
Former Haryana chief minister O P Chautala struggled to hold back tears as he paid his last respects to the SAD patriarch. The Chautalas and the Badals, the two powerful political families in Haryana and Punjab, have long-standing ties as Badal was a close friend of former deputy prime minister Chaudhary Devi Lal.
After arriving in Chandigarh, Modi reached the SAD office accompanied by Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
He laid a wreath on the mortal remains of Badal and then sat beside SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. The prime minister was seen holding the hands of Sukhbir Singh Badal, expressing grief over the passing away of the SAD chief’s father. Modi stayed at the SAD office for a few minutes.
Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Patiala MP Parneet Kaur who is the wife of Amarinder Singh also paid homage to the departed soul. Badal’s son-in-law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, grandson Anantvir Singh Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami and BSP leader Jasvir Singh Garhi were also present at the SAD head office.
Grief-stricken party supporters stood in queues at the SAD headquarters to have a glimpse of their leader for the last time. The mortal remains of the SAD patriarch will be kept at the party head office here for people to pay their tributes to the departed soul.
The mortal remains will be taken to the former chief minister’s native village Badal in Muktsar later on Wednesday via Rajpura, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Rampura Phul, and Bathinda. The cremation will take place at Badal village at 1 pm on Thursday, a party leader said.
The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He was also the chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017.