Tarun Chugh
With the death of Prakash Singh Badal, one of the politicians who did not give up easily in the politics of the country and the state of Punjab, a light beam of Indian politics was extinguished and a long era of politics of the state of Punjab came to an end. The political journey of Parkash Singh Badal, who entered his name in the record books as the oldest person to contest elections in the country’s electoral politics, began in 1947 when he became the ‘Sarpanch’ of Badal village in Bathinda district, which rose to the pinnacle. In his long political journey, he fought in the election season 13 times.
In the year 1947, Sardar Prakash Singh Badal became the sarpanch of his village and from there he started giving steps to the dream of making Punjab a capable state along with his passion to serve the country and the state.
Whether it was the partition of the country and Punjab, or the period of Emergency to terrorism, Punjab had to give repeated examinations in all these times, Parkash Singh Badal stood as a sensible and strong leader in this period of examinations.
Parkash Singh Badal, who fought for the rights of Punjab, had to go to jail several times. At the same time, he had to stay in jail for about one and a half years during the Emergency along with the threats posed to democracy in the country. Sardar Parkash Singh Badal, who commanded Punjab several times, always defended the principle of Miri and Piri of Sikhism. Where on one hand he was taking the state forward at the political level, on the other hand he always took religion along with him. Many such remarkable works were done in the Sardar Parkash Singh Badal-led government, which became an example not only for Sikhism, but also for other religions.
Monuments like Chhaparchidi War Memorial, Virasat-e-Khalsa, Ram Tirtha and Jang-e-Azadi, which will keep the religion and history of Punjab alive for centuries. This is the glory of Sardar Parkash Singh Badal’s government. During his tenure from 2007 to 2012, Parkash Singh Badal realized his dream of changing the image of Punjab and making Punjab prosperous through hundreds of projects like road network, new government buildings, bypasses, meritorious schools, etc. Did.
Badal, a veteran of Punjab politics, became the Chief Minister for the first time in 1970 and led a coalition government, which unfortunately did not complete its term, but Parkash Singh Badal’s political acumen did come to the fore. As a result, he was also the Chief Minister of the state in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana village of Bathinda, Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal did his graduation from Forman Christian College, Lahore. In 1957, he entered the Punjab Legislative Assembly as an MLA from Malot. In 1969, he won from the Gidderbaha assembly seat.
Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal strongly opposed the idea of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, which was intended to share river water with the neighboring state of Haryana. He was arrested in 1982 for leading an agitation over the project. It is noteworthy that the Akali Dal has been one of the oldest allies of the BJP. Prakash Singh Badal made many notable contributions for the welfare of farmers and other weaker sections of the society in his long political and administrative career, playing an important role in the politics of Punjab for many decades. Due to the death of Prakash Singh Badal, who understood the good and bad of the country and the state very well, who had love and affection for all the people of Punjab, it is not possible to make up for it. Prakash Singh Badal was a man of great personality, great experience, a witness to a long political journey, and a man with a noble and big heart. Expressing deep condolence on his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Parkash Singh Badal not only worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab, but also contributed a lot in the development of the country. It is clear from the respect given by the Central Government by declaring two days mourning on his death, that the Prime Minister has a sense of respect for Punjab and Parkash Singh Badal. His great personality can never be forgotten. Humble tribute on the demise of such a great man.
(The author is the National General Secretary of BJP).