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Tag: Parkash Singh Badal

  • Parkash Singh Badal: Grand old man of Punjab politics 

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Parkash Singh Badal was not the one to give up easily, on life or on politics.

    Only last year, the Shiromani Akal Dal fielded the patriarch again from his home turf Lambi in Punjab’s Muktsar district for the assembly elections.

    He lost but entered the record books for being the oldest person to fight an election in the county.

    This was his 14th electoral battle in a long political career that began when he became the sarpanch of Badal village in the Bathinda district.

    Badal, who became Punjab’s chief minister five times and had been part of the movement for a separate Punjabi-speaking state, died at a private hospital in Mohali near Chandigarh on Tuesday, nine days after being admitted there with breathing problems.

    He was 95.

    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 CM in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017.

    He was MLA 11 times, losing an election for the state assembly only twice.

    In 1977, he joined Morarji Desai’s government briefly as the Agriculture minister at the Centre.

    In 2008, Badal handed over the reins of the SAD, which he had headed from 1995, to his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also became the deputy chief minister under him.

    Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from Forman Christian College in Lahore.

    His first political posts were the sarpanch of Badal village and the chairman of the block samiti. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as the Congress nominee. In 1969, he won the Gidderbaha assembly seat on the SAD ticket.

    When Gurnam Singh, the then chief minister, defected to the Congress in 1970, the SAD regrouped and formed the government with the support of Jana Sangh.

    Badal then became the youngest chief minister in the country, even if the coalition government lasted just a little more than a year.

    In 2017, when he ended his last stint as CM, he was among the oldest to have held that post.

    Badal’s governments focused on farmers. One key decision was introducing free electricity for agriculture.

    The Akali leader bitterly opposed the idea of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, meant to share river water with neighbouring Haryana.

    In 1982, he was arrested for leading an agitation over the project, which is yet to become a reality due to Punjab’s continuing opposition.

    Under his leadership, the state assembly passed the controversial Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (Transfer of Proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016.

    This was aimed at stalling the progress on the project.

    His party broke off ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party over the farmers’ agitation against the Centre new agri laws in 2020.

    He also returned the Padma Vibhushan award he received in 2015.

    Another award brought controversy in 2011.

    The Akal Takht conferred on him the title of ‘Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum’ — or the Pride of the Faith — a move criticised by many.

    Badal’s wife Surinder Kaur Badal died of cancer in 2011.

    They had two children – Sukhbir Singh Badal, the heir to his political legacy, and Parneet Kaur, who is married to former minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon.

    SAD chief Sukhbir Badal’s wife is Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

    CHANDIGARH: Parkash Singh Badal was not the one to give up easily, on life or on politics.

    Only last year, the Shiromani Akal Dal fielded the patriarch again from his home turf Lambi in Punjab’s Muktsar district for the assembly elections.

    He lost but entered the record books for being the oldest person to fight an election in the county.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    This was his 14th electoral battle in a long political career that began when he became the sarpanch of Badal village in the Bathinda district.

    Badal, who became Punjab’s chief minister five times and had been part of the movement for a separate Punjabi-speaking state, died at a private hospital in Mohali near Chandigarh on Tuesday, nine days after being admitted there with breathing problems.

    He was 95.

    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 CM in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017.

    He was MLA 11 times, losing an election for the state assembly only twice.

    In 1977, he joined Morarji Desai’s government briefly as the Agriculture minister at the Centre.

    In 2008, Badal handed over the reins of the SAD, which he had headed from 1995, to his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also became the deputy chief minister under him.

    Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from Forman Christian College in Lahore.

    His first political posts were the sarpanch of Badal village and the chairman of the block samiti. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as the Congress nominee. In 1969, he won the Gidderbaha assembly seat on the SAD ticket.

    When Gurnam Singh, the then chief minister, defected to the Congress in 1970, the SAD regrouped and formed the government with the support of Jana Sangh.

    Badal then became the youngest chief minister in the country, even if the coalition government lasted just a little more than a year.

    In 2017, when he ended his last stint as CM, he was among the oldest to have held that post.

    Badal’s governments focused on farmers. One key decision was introducing free electricity for agriculture.

    The Akali leader bitterly opposed the idea of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, meant to share river water with neighbouring Haryana.

    In 1982, he was arrested for leading an agitation over the project, which is yet to become a reality due to Punjab’s continuing opposition.

    Under his leadership, the state assembly passed the controversial Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (Transfer of Proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016.

    This was aimed at stalling the progress on the project.

    His party broke off ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party over the farmers’ agitation against the Centre new agri laws in 2020.

    He also returned the Padma Vibhushan award he received in 2015.

    Another award brought controversy in 2011.

    The Akal Takht conferred on him the title of ‘Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum’ — or the Pride of the Faith — a move criticised by many.

    Badal’s wife Surinder Kaur Badal died of cancer in 2011.

    They had two children – Sukhbir Singh Badal, the heir to his political legacy, and Parneet Kaur, who is married to former minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon.

    SAD chief Sukhbir Badal’s wife is Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

  • Badal’s own tractors, Sukhbir has horses and weapons

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: Both former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal own only tractors and no cars. 

    As per the affidavit, Sukhbirl has horses worth Rs 95.82 lakh, two weapons valued at Rs 3 lakh and immovable properties worth Rs 52.95 crore were part of the total assets of Rs 122.77 crore. The 59-year-old Sukhbir Singh Badal has two tractors (Tractor Tafe, Model 1999 and tractor Holland 5500) worth Rs 2.38 lakh in his name and gold jewellery worth Rs 9 lakh, his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal has gold jewellery worth Rs 7.24 crore. While she also has one weapon worth Rs 1.25 lakh and paintings worth Rs 3.40 lakh.

    Among his immovable properties, Sukhbir owns agricultural, non-agricultural land and commercial properties in Muktsar, Sirsa (Haryana), Ganganagar (Rajasthan), Ludhiana and Jalandhar. He has a 2,225 square yards residential house in Sector 9 of Chandigarh with a market value of Rs 23.72 crore. His liabilities including bank loans etc are worth Rs 37.62 crore.

    Also, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal father of Sukhbir Badal who filed his nomination papers from Lambi has one tractor only. He has shown assets worth Rs 15.11 crore of these Rs 2.71 crore liabilities and Rs 8.40 crore moveable assets and Rs 6.71 crore immovable. While last time his assets were Rs 14.48 crore.

    The 94-year-old Badal filed his nomination from his home turf of Lambi and thus he became the oldest candidate in the electoral fray in the country, as this is his thirteenth assembly election. Badal was the youngest sarpanch when he got elected from Badal village in 1947 and in 1970 he became the youngest Chief Minister and in 2012 he became the oldest CM.

    While Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi filed his nomination papers from the Bhadaur (SC) seat, after filing his nomination papers, Channi said, “I have come with a mission in Malwa (region),” he said, adding that this area is backward in terms of development. Also, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh filed his nomination from Patiala (Urban).

  • Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal tests positive for Omicron variant of COVID-19

    By PTI

    LUDHIANA: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Monday, said a senior doctor of the hospital where he was admitted. The doctor said the five-time chief minister was stable.

    Dr Rajesh Mahajan, in-charge of the team of doctors attending to Badal, said that the samples of the 94-year-old Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch was sent to the Patiala lab for testing and he tested positive for the Omicron variant.

    Badal is having sore throat, slight cough and mild fever but he is stable, Mahajan added. Badal was admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital last week when he tested positive for coronavirus.

  • Badals laid foundation of farm laws, Centre just photocopied them, says Punjab Congress chief Sidhu

    By Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was “the main architect” of the three central farm laws. These legislations were the exact replicas of the contract farming law introduced by the SAD-BJP government in Punjab assembly in 2013, claimed the cricketer-turned-politician.  

    Hitting back, the SAD asked Sidhu not to try to befool people and challenged him to repeal the amendments made in the APMC Act by the Congress government in 2017, if he was really serious about helping the cause of the farming community.

    Sidhu alleged that former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was the “Niti Nirmata” (policymaker) of these farm laws. The Punjab Contract Farming Act passed in the assembly in 2013 when Badal Senior was the CM, is the soul of the agri laws” he claimed, adding that nowhere in the state Act allowed corporates to buy crops below MSP in order to exploit the farmers.

    “The Centre’s farm laws are a photostat copy of the Act brought by the Badals. Be it the dispute over settlement, farm services, sale of agriculture produce, most clauses are as they were provided to the BJP by the SAD when it was part of the NDA,” Sidhu said.  He played videos of Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal first praising and later opposing the legislations. 

    Amarinder attacks Harsimrat Kaur BadalPunjab CM Amarinder Singh said no Akali leader, especially former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, had the moral right to speak on the crisis triggered by the farm laws. Reacting to Harsimrat’s remark that he was speaking the language of the BJP, Singh said it was an attempt to cover up her and her party’s failure.

  • Kotkapura firing: SIT asks Sukhbir Badal to appear before it on June 26

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The special investigation team probing the Kotkapura firing case has asked former Punjab deputy Chief minister Sukhbir Badal to appear before it on June 26.

    On Tuesday, the SIT had questioned former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal.

    Sukhbir was the deputy chief minister when incidents of the desecration of a religious text and the subsequent police firing at people protesting against it had taken place in Faridkot in 2015.

    The Punjab government had formed the new SIT to probe the Kotkapura police firing incident following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had earlier quashed the investigation report of the previous SIT.

    “You are hereby called upon to appear in person along with the relevant record if any before the special investigation team on date 26.06. 2021 at 11 am at Punjab Police Officers’ Institute, Sector 32, Chandigarh,” the summons issued to the Shiromani Akali Dal chief said.

  • SAD objects to presence of ‘non-member’ in SIT that questioned Badal senior

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The SAD on Tuesday strongly objected to the presence of a non-member in the Punjab police SIT which visited former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to question him in 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident in Faridkot.

    The Punjab Police Special Investigation Team (SIT), reached Badal’s Sector 4 MLAs’ flat and questioned him for nearly two-and-a-half hours.

    The SIT team was accompanied by the state government Prosecution Director Vijay Singla, who remained present with the SIT members during questioning of Badal, but who, the SAD leaders claimed, was not an official member of the probe team.

    Objecting to Singla presence with the SIT to question the Akali stalwart, the Shiromani Akali Dal alleged that he did not hold any “official position” and it indicated the Congress government was bent upon “politicizing the entire issue”.

    According to Harcharan Bains, principal adviser to the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, the senior Badal asked the SIT “why it won’t widen the probe to investigate Congress and AAP hand in sacrilege conspiracy to defame & destabilize then Akai Govt”.

    “HC (High Court) said Kunwar Vijay Partap (who led investigations of the previous SIT) politicised the probe. This was to vilify Akalis & to turn Sikhs against them. At whose behest? Must be probed, post-HC remarks,” demanded Badal, Bains said in a tweet.

    Objecting to Singla’s presence with SIT officials, senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal said, “What is also objectionable is that Director Prosecution Vijay Singla has been made part of the new SIT.”

    “He is not associated with SIT. He does not hold any official position. Does it not prove the government is playing politics? Did they take court’s permission to make him part of the SIT and co-opt him?” Grewal asked.

    The Punjab government had formed the new SIT led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav to probe the Kotkapura police firing incident following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

    Senior SAD leaders including Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Daljit Singh Cheema, besides SGPC chief Jagir Kaur were present at Badal’s residence.

    Addressing the media, the SAD leaders said Badal cooperated with the SIT like he had done when a previous investigation team had questioned him two years ago.

    Referring to Singla’s presence with SIT, they said at the time of the previous SIT, whose report was quashed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the investigations were conducted in a “politically motivated” manner and even now the agenda was allegedly politically driven.

    The SIT had rescheduled the questioning after the 93-year-old Badal had expressed his inability to appear before it at a rest house in Mohali on June 16, saying he is not keeping good health.

    “Still not in good health, Badal, however, is keen to fulfil his legal and constitutional duties as a law-abiding citizen of the country,” Bains had said earlier.

    Prakash Singh Badal was the CM when incidents of desecration of Sikhs’ religious text and the subsequent police firing at people protesting against it had taken place in Faridkot in 2015.

    The new SIT is investigating the two FIRs registered on October 14, 2015, and August 7, 2018, in connection with the Kotkapura incident.

    The high court had on April 9 this year quashed a report by an earlier Punjab Police SIT.

    The court had then directed the state government to set up a new SIT without Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, an Indian Police Service officer who was part of the earlier team.

    Singh took voluntary retirement after the court order and on Monday he joined the Aam Aadmi Party in Amritsar in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

    “The high court quashed the previous SIT’s report. We had said that the previous SIT under Kunwar Vijay Pratap was having a political agenda, which has now been proved as a day earlier the officer, who took premature retirement, has joined the AAP,” said Grewal.

    He charged that the fresh SIT head “L K Yadav was promoted overnight as ADGP to head the new SIT. The government’s agenda is not to deliver justice, but political.”

    Grewal said attempts were also being made to “intermingle” Kotkapura firing case and sacrilege cases.

    Cheema said the SAD has been maintaining that the “investigation being conducted is politically motivated. And even now it is politically driven.”

    “Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was acting as an undercover agent of Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal, which has been proved now with his joining AAP,” Cheema alleged.

    Police had also opened fire at a similar demonstration in Behbal Kalan, also in Faridkot, where two people were killed.

    A separate probe is underway in that case.

    The previous SIT had questioned Badal in 2018.

    At that time, Badal had said that the SIT was “politically motivated” to defame him.

    The new SIT has already questioned former DGP Sumedh Saini and some other police officers.

  • 2015 sacrilege case: SIT questions former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was on Tuesday quizzed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident.

    The Punjab Police SIT reached Badal’s official MLA flat in Sector-4 here.

    It was there for nearly two-and-a-half hours, sources said.

    Earlier, the SIT had summoned the Akali Dal patriarch for questioning in Mohali on June 16.

    But Badal had sought a change of the date of appearance, saying he was not keeping well.

    ALSO READ | Badals never indicted in sacrilege cases: Bikram Majithia hits back at Congress

    Earlier, Harcharan Bains, principal adviser to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, had said, “Five-time Punjab CM Sardar Parkash Singh Badal will appear before the SIT at his official MLA flat at Sector-4 in Chandigarh at 10.30 am on June 22. Still not in good health, Badal, however, is keen to fulfil his legal and constitutional duties as a law-abiding citizen of the country.”

    Badal was the chief minister of Punjab in 2015 when incidents of the desecration of religious texts and subsequent police firing on people protesting over the issue took place in Faridkot.

    In May, the state government set up a new SIT led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav to probe the Kotkapura police firing incident following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had quashed the report submitted by the first SIT headed by Inspector General Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on April 9.

    ALSO READ | Amarinder ‘shielding’ 2015 sacrilege accused the way Cong ‘protected’ leaders involved in 1984 anti-sikh riots: BJP

    The new SIT is investigating two FIRs registered on October 14, 2015 and August 7, 2018 in connection with the Kotkapura incident.

    It has already questioned former DGP Sumedh Saini and some other police officers.

    The previous SIT had questioned Badal in 2018.

    At that time, Badal had said the SIT was “politically motivated” and the probe was an attempt to defame him.

    In 2015, police had also opened fire at a similar demonstration in Behbal Kalan, also in Faridkot, where two people were killed.

    A separate probe is underway in that case.

  • Kotkapura firing: Former CM Badal to appear before SIT on Tuesday

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal will appear on Tuesday before the SIT probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident.

    Earlier, the Punjab Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) had summoned the Akali Dal stalwart for investigation in Mohali on June 16.

    But Badal sought from the SIT to change the date of his appearance, saying he is not keeping good health.

    Later, the SIT rescheduled the date for his appearance.

    “Five-time Punjab CM Sardar Parkash Singh Badal will appear before the SIT at his official MLA flat at Sector 4 in Chandigarh at 10.30 am on June 22.

    Still not in good health, Badal, however, is keen to fulfil his legal and constitutional duties as a law abiding citizen of the country,” tweeted Harcharan Bains, principal adviser to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal.

    Badal was the CM when incidents of the desecration of a religious text and police firing at people protesting against it took place in Faridkot in 2015.

    The Punjab government had formed the new SIT led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav to probe the Kotkapura police firing incident following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

    The new SIT is investigating the two FIRs registered on October 14, 2015 and August 7, 2018 in connection with the Kotkapura incident.

    The High Court had on April 9 this year quashed a report by an earlier Punjab Police SIT.

    The court had then directed the state government to set up a new SIT without Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, an Indian Police Service officer who was part of the earlier team.

    Singh took voluntary retirement after the court order.

    Police had also opened fire at a similar demonstration in Behbal Kalan, also in Faridkot, where two people were killed.

    A separate probe is underway in that case.

    The previous SIT had questioned Parkash Singh Badal in 2018.

    At that time, Badal had said that the SIT was “politically motivated” to defame him.

    The new SIT has already questioned former DGP Sumedh Saini and some other police officers.

  • Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal summoned by SIT in 2015 police firing case

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has been summoned by the special investigation team probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident to appear before it on June 16.

    Badal was the chief minister when the sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents took place in Faridkot in 2015.

    According to the summons, the nonagenarian leader has been asked “to appear in person with the relevant record before the Special Investigation Team on date 16.06. 2021 at 10:30 am at PSPCL, Rest House, Phase-8 SAS Nagar (Mohali)” for investigation of the cases.

    Reacting to the summons, Harcharan Bains, principal advisor to the Shiromani Akali Dal president, said, “We will fully cooperate with the SIT.”

    Badal had been questioned in 2018 by the previous SIT probing the matter.

    He had then said the SIT probe was “politically motivated” and an attempt to defame him.

    The Punjab government had formed the new SIT led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav to probe the Kotkapura police firing incident following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

    The new SIT is investigating the two FIRs registered on October 14, 2015 and August 7, 2018 in connection with the Kotkapura incident.

    ALSO READ: Akali Dal announces alliance with BSP for Punjab Assembly elections 2022

    The high court on April 9 this year had quashed a report by an earlier Punjab Police SIT into the 2015 firing at people protesting in Kotkapura over the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot district.

    The court had then directed the state government to set up a new SIT, without Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, the Indian Police Service officer who was part of the earlier team.

    Singh later took voluntary retirement after the court order.

    Police had also opened fire at a similar demonstration in Behbal Kalan, also in Faridkot, where two people were killed.

    A separate probe is underway in that case.

    The new SIT has already questioned former police chief Sumedh Singh Saini and some other police officers.

    Meanwhile, Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday dubbed the summoning of Badal by the SIT as a step in the right direction.

    “The need of the hour is to conduct a fair investigation wherein the role of the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and the then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini are brought out,” said Bajwa in a statement here.

    “Once the investigation is concluded within a month, an application must be filed for day-to-day hearing of the case before the trial court in Faridkot,” he said.

    After the high court quashed the report of the earlier SIT, a section of Congress leaders, including Navjot Singh Sidhu, has been targeting their own government for the alleged delay in delivery of justice in sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents in 2015.

    The Congress in Punjab has repeatedly targeted the Shiromani Akali Dal, which was in power then in the state, over the incidents.

  • Badals never indicted in sacrilege cases: Bikram Majithia hits back at Congress

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Tuesday said neither the one-man commission set to probe the 2015 desecration incidents nor the earlier constituted SIT indicted former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal in the cases.

    “In fact, both reports categorically and forcefully refused to indict Parkash Singh Badal or Sukhbir Singh Badal for either the firing or the sacrilege incidents in question. Nowhere in the reports’ recommendations is either Parkash Singh Badal or Sukhbir Badal found guilty of any wrongdoing on the allegations levelled against them by their political opponents,” said Majithia here.

    Majithia’s remarks came two days after Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu shared on his Twitter handle video clips of purported police action on people protesting the desecration of a religious text in Punjab’s Faridkot in 2015 and purported contents of the report of Justice Ranjit Singh Commission that had probed incidents of the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.

    Sidhu’s tweet was in response to SAD chief Sukhbir Badal’s statement in which he had dared the Congress leaders to share the proof, if they have any, on the “planning and execution” of the alleged acts of the desecration of a religious text in the state’s Faridkot in 2015.

    The Punjab and Haryana High Court had last month quashed a probe report of the Punjab Police Special Investigation Team into the Kotkapura firing incident.

    Majithia on Tuesday said the SIT had relied on the commission’s report and the HC judgment found no truth or merit in both.

    The Akali leader reiterated the party’s open challenge to its critics in the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party to submit to the court any evidence which they claim they have against Akali leaders.

    During the previous SAD-BJP regime, torn pages of the religious text were found at Bargari in Faridkot.

    Later, in police firing incidents at anti-sacrilege protesters, two people were killed at Behbal Kalan and many injured at Kotkapura.