Parkash Singh Badal ( pa, ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ; born 8 December 1927) is an Indian politician who was

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

state from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017. He is also the patron of

Shiromani Akali Dal The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: ''Supreme Akali Party'') is a centre-right sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are man ...

(SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party. He was the president of the party from 1995 to 2008, when he was replaced by his son

Sukhbir Singh Badal Sukhbir Singh Badal (born 9 July 1962) is an Indian politician and the president of Shiromani Akali Dal, and is currently a member of Parliament from the Firozpur. He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab from 2009 to 2017. He is the son of ...

. As the patron of SAD he exercises a strong influence on the

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; "Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee") is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union ...

and

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) is organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in Delhi. It also manages various educational institutions, hospitals, old age homes, librar ...

. The Government of India awarded him the second-highest civilian award,

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

, in 2015.

Early life

Parkash Badal was born on 8 December 1927 in Abul Khurana, near

Malout Malout is a town, just outside of Muktsar Sahib city in the Muktsar district of the Indian state of Punjab. It is in the southern Punjab "cotton belt", where production per kilometer is one of the highest in India. Malout is on NH-354 and NH- ...

. He belongs to a Jat Sikh family. He graduated from the

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is an private liberal arts university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church. The university follows an American-style curriculum. Founded in 1864 by Ameri ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

Political career

He started his political career in 1947. He was

Sarpanch A sarpanch ( IAST: ''Sarpañch'' Hindi: ''सरपंच'') or Gram Pradhan or Mukhiya is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the Gram Sabha (village government) in India. The Sarp ...

of the Village Badal and later Chairman of Block Samiti, Lambi before rising into Punjab politics. He was elected to

Punjab Vidhan Sabha The Punjab Legislative Assembly or the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the state of Punjab in India. The Sixteenth Punjab Legislative Assembly was constituted in March 2022. At present, it consists of 117 members, directl ...

in 1957 for the first time from the

political party ."The grand old man of Akali politics"
CNN-IBN, 2 March 2007. He was re-elected in 1969, serving as Minister for Community Development, Panchayati Raj, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. He was

Leader of Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically s ...

in 1972, 1980 and 2002. He has been elected in Vidhan Sabha for a total of 10 times, in 1957 and in each election since 1969, except for the February 1992 election, in which he led a boycott of state elections by the Akalis. In 1997 elections he won from

Lambi Assembly constituency Lambi Assembly constituency (Sl. No.: 83) is a Punjab Legislative Assembly constituency in Sri Muktsar Sahib district, Punjab state, India. A voter-verified paper audit trail was used in Lambi in the 2017 Assembly polls. It is part of the Bathi ...

and has been a consecutive winner in four terms. He was a union minister in Prime Minister

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 to 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his ...

's government in 1977, serving as Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation.

Chief Minister of Punjab

He has served as

Punjab Chief Minister Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

for four terms, the first time in 1970 when he became the youngest chief minister of an Indian state. He completed his most recent term in March 2017.

First term

Badal first became Chief Minister of Punjab in March 1970 and headed a coalition government of

Akali Dal - Sant Fateh Singh Akali may refer to: * In the context of Sikhism, "Akali" ("pertaining to Akal or the Supreme Power", "divine") may refer to: ** any member of the Khalsa, i.e. the collective body of baptized Sikhs ** a member of the Akali movement (1919-1925) ** a ...

and

Jana Sangh The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) (ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...

. In June 1970 Jana Sangh withdrew support from the Badal government over their difference about the place of

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

in Punjab. Later, in early July, seven of Akali Dal (Sant) defected to rival Akali Dal headed by ex-CM

Gurnam Singh Gurnam Singh (25 February 1899 – 31 May 1973) was an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Punjab from 8 March 1967 to 25 November 1967, and again between 17 February 1969 to 27 March 1970. He was the first Shiromani Akali Dal Chi ...

. An early session of the assembly was called on 24 July to prove the majority of Badal's government. However, the motion of no confidence was not admitted due to lack of requisite support of one-fifth of MLAs. Congress decided to stay neutral and did not support the no-confidence motion.

Third term (1997-2002)

He became CM for the term 12 February 1997 – 26 February 2002.

Fourth term (2007–2012)

In the 2007 Punjab state election

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the List of ruling p ...

coalition government won 67 out of 117 seats and Parkash Singh Badal was sworn in as Chief Minister for the fourth time. He held 10 portfolios, which included the ministries for Home, Housing & Urban Development, Excise & Taxation, Power, Personnel, General Administration, Vigilance, Employment, Legal & Legislative Affairs and NRIs Affairs. Badal launched many schemes such as free ambulance service, Talwandi Sabo thermal plant, etc. Through a new transportation policy, he reduced taxes on air-conditioned buses, making it less expensive for companies to operate luxury buses. This also increased profits of a bus company owned by his son,

, which soared to 1.7 million U.S. dollars.

2012–2017

In the 2012 election,

and

combined won 68 seats out of 117, despite a tradition of anti-incumbency in Punjab. Badal again became the Chief Minister of Punjab on 14 March 2012 after being sworn in by the Governor of Punjab,

Shivraj Patil Shivraj Vishwanath Patil (born 12 October 1935) is an Indian politician who was the Minister of Home Affairs of India, from 2004 to 2008 and 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. He was Governor of the state of Punjab and Administra ...

. He is also the oldest chief minister ever and is the only person who has been both the youngest and the oldest chief minister of his state. In the 2012–2017 government he held the portfolios of Personnel, General Administration, Power, Cooperation, Science Technology, and Environment, Vigilance and Employment Generation.Punjab Cabinet Ministers Portfolios 2012
dayandnightnews.com. March 2012

FDI in India

Badal opposed FDI, and sided with political ally BJP.

Participation in Akali Movement

He was first detained in the

Karnal Karnal ( is a city located in the state of Haryana, India and is the administrative headquarters of Karnal District. It was used by East India Company army as a refuge during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi. The Battle of Karnal betw ...

jail in connection with Civil Liberties Agitation later under the

Maintenance of Internal Security Act The Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) was a controversial law passed by the Indian parliament in 1971 giving the administration of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Indian law enforcement agencies very broad powers – indefinite ...

during the

Indian Emergency The Emergency in India was a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had a state of emergency declared across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution be ...

. He was President of the Akali Dal from 1996 to 2008.

Award

Panth Ratan

On 11 December 2011, Badal was bestowed upon the title of Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum (literally "Jewel of the religion, pride of the community") by the

Akal Takht The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built b ...

. He was awarded this title at Golden Temple complex in the presence of Jathedars of all five Takhts in the form of a “siropa” (robe of honour), a sword and a silver plaque with inscription of the citation of ''Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum''. Badal was awarded this title for his service towards the Sikh Panth by creating many memorials pertaining to Sikhism such as

Virasat-e-Khalsa Virasat-e-Khalsa is a museum of Sikhism, located in the holy town, Anandpur Sahib, near Chandigarh, the capital of the state of Punjab, India. The museum celebrates 500 years of the Sikh history and the 300th anniversary of the birth of Khalsa ...

, besides being imprisoned for long time and having faced atrocities during various Akali movements. This award was retracted by the Sikh Panth at Sarbat Khalsa on 10 November 2015 due to allegations of Civil Rights Violations and failure to recognize the oppression faced by the Sikhs of Punjab. Many political Sikh organizations such as Dal Khalsa, Khalra Mission Organization, Punjab Human Rights Organization, Khalsa Panchayat and Niarye Khalsa Organization. Former SGPC secretary general Manjit Singh Calcutta argued that this award is given posthumously. In response, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh cited the example of

Master Tara Singh Master Tara Singh (24 June 1885 – 22 November 1967) was an Indian Sikh political and religious figure in the first half of the 20th century. He was instrumental in organising the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee and guiding the Sikhs ...

, who was given this award during his lifetime. Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh termed it sycophancy, as Badal indirectly controls SGPC.

Padma Vibhushan

Parkash Singh Badal (left) receiving

award from

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

Pranab Mukherjee Dr. Pranab Mukherjee (11 December 193531 August 2020) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 13th president of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the Indi ...

(right) on 30 March 2015. However he returned this award to support the

2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest The 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest was a protest against three farm acts that were passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020. The acts, often called the Farm Bills, have been described as "anti-farmer laws" by many farmer unions ...

on 3 December 2020.

SYL Canal issue

Ever since the

Sutlej-Yamuna Link Satluj Yamuna Link Canal or SYL as it is popularly known, is an under-construction long canal in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers.

(SYL) issue came up in 1982, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has been vocal in disapproving it and leading from the front in safeguarding the rights of Punjab's farmers. He has played a key role in ensuring that SYL should never become a reality and even got arrested for leading the ‘Nehar Roko Morcha’ in April 1982. He believes that successive Congress governments at the Centre have been doing "grave injustice" to the state forcing Punjab to share the water in the name of SYL Canal. Recently, under his leadership, Government of Punjab, India, Punjab government took a path-breaking decision of adopting the Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (Transfer of Proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016 in the assembly. With this decision taken on 14 March 2016, the process of denotifying (and dismantling) the 121-km long Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal that was constructed in Punjab to carry water to Haryana has begun. Parkash Singh Badal has expressed candidly many times that Punjab doesn't have a single drop of spare water for anybody and Akali Dal is opposed to the agreement which it believed would rob the water of the state. Chief Minister Badal, in his latest move, has sent a cheque of Rs.390 crore back to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar received from Haryana nearly four decades back.

Issues

Parkash Singh Badal along with his wife Surinder Kaur, son

Sukhbir Singh Sukhbir Singh Badal (born 9 July 1962) is an Indian politician and the president of Shiromani Akali Dal, and is currently a member of Parliament from the Firozpur. He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab from 2009 to 2017. He is the son ...

and seven others were booked under various provisions of the

Prevention of Corruption Act Prevention of Corruption Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in India, Malaysia and the United Kingdom relating to corruption and bribery. The Bill for an Act with this short title will have been known as a Prevent ...

in 2003. After a seven-year-long case all accused were acquitted by a local court in Mohali in 2010 due to a lack of incriminating evidence. In 2007, 11 key witnesses retracted their statements before the Special Court set up in Ropar district.

Ghadar-e-Qaum Brand

On 10 November 2015, along with Avtar Makkar, Badal was branded as Ghadar-e-Qaum (meaning traitor to the faith) by a gathering of the Sikh community known as the "Sarbat Khalsa." This was due to his alleged role in the 1984 anti Sikh riots.

Personal life

In 1959, he married Surinder Kaur. The couple had two children,

and Parneet Kaur, who is married to

Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon (born 1959) is a politician from Punjab, India. He is a four-time Member of Legislative Assembly in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Patti Constituency. He has served thrice as a minister. He has held the port ...

. Surinder Kaur died in 2011 after a long illness due to cancer."Surinder Kaur Badal dead: Former Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal's wife passes away"
The Economic Times (24 May 2011). Retrieved 25 October 2011. His younger brother

Gurdas Singh Badal Gurdas Singh Badal (6 August 1931 – 15 May 2020) was an Indian politician and parliamentarian. He was born in Abulkharana, Firozpur district. He was the brother of Parkash Singh Badal. He was elected to the seventh Lok Sabha from Fazilka con ...

had also been in politics. His nephew

Manpreet Singh Badal Manpreet Singh Badal (born 26 July 1962) is an Indian politician and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the former Finance Minister of Punjab. He resigned from Indian National Congress on 18th January,2023 & joined BJP same day. He ha ...

served as Finance Minister of Punjab.

Electoral Performance

{{#section:Qila Raipur Assembly constituency, Assembly Election 1997} {{transcluded section, source=Lambi Assembly constituency {{#section:Lambi Assembly constituency, Assembly Election 2012

References

{{reflist {{s-start {{s-par, in-lwr {{s-bef, before=Kartar Singh Kalra {{s-ttl, title=Member of Parliament
for

Faridkot Faridkot may refer to: India * Faridkot, Punjab, a city in Punjab, India * Faridkot district * Faridkot (Lok Sabha constituency), one of the 13 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Punjab, India * Faridkot State Faridkot State was a sel ...

, years=1971– 1977 {{s-aft, after=Gurbrinder Kaur Brar , - {{s-off {{s-bef, before=

{{s-ttl, title= Chief Minister of Punjab, years=27 March 1970–14 June 1971 {{s-aft, after= President's rule , - {{s-bef, before=

Jagjivan Ram Jagjivan Ram (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), known popularly as Babuji, was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar. He was instrumental in the foundation of the ''All India Depressed Classes League'', an organisation dedicated ...

{{s-ttl, title=

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

, years=24 March 1977–20 June 1977 {{s-aft, after=

Surjit Singh Barnala Surjit Singh Barnala (21 October 1925 – 14 January 2017) was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Punjab state from 1985 to 1987. Following that he served as the governor of Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh , l ...

, - {{s-bef, before= President's rule {{s-ttl, title= Chief Minister of Punjab, years=20 June 1977–17 February 1980 {{s-aft, after= President's rule , - {{s-bef, before= Rajinder Kaur Bhattal {{s-ttl, title= Chief Minister of Punjab, years=12 February 1997–26 February 2002 {{s-aft, after=

Amarinder Singh Captain Amarinder Singh (born 11 March 1942), is an Indian politician, military historian, former royal and Indian Army veteran who served as the 15th Chief Minister of Punjab. A former Member of the Legislative Assembly, Punjab and Member ...

, - {{s-bef, before=

{{s-ttl, title= Chief Minister of Punjab, years=1 March 2007–11 March 2017 {{s-aft, after=