People throng Shiromani Akali Dal office to pay homage to Parkash Singh Badal

SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal had not been keeping well and was hospitalised in Mohali on April 16 after he complained of uneasiness in breathing. He died on Tuesday aged 95.

Scores of people and political leaders cutting across party lines assembled to pay homage to the five-time Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal at the Shiromani Akali Dal office in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal’s daughter Parneet Kaur mourning along with family members at the SAD headquarters in Chandigarh on Wednesday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

Badal had not been keeping well and was hospitalised in Mohali on April 16 after he complained of uneasiness in breathing. He died on Tuesday aged 95.

The body of Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal draped in the SAD flag at the party headquarters on Wednesday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

The mortal remains of the SAD patriarch, who straddled Punjab politics for over seven decades, were brought to the party head office in an ambulance.

Former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Congress leader Lal Singh (extreme right) consoling Sukhbir Singh Badal in Chandigarh on Wednesday. (Ravi Kumar/Ht)

Former Haryana chief minister OP Chautala, former Punjab chief ministers Charanjit Singh Channi and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, who is the wife of Capt Amarinder Singh, Haryana assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, BJP leader Sunil Jakhar, Union minister Som Prakash, Congress leader Lal Singh, former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, BSP leader Jasvir Singh Garhi, former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur and SAD (Samyukt) leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa were among the leaders who reached the SAD office and expressed condolences to Badal’s son and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Former SGPC president Jagir Kaur arriving at the SAD headquarters in Chandigarh. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

Parkash Singh Badal’s daughter Parneet Kaur, son-in-law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, grandson Anantvir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia were also present at the SAD head office. Former minister Manpreet Singh Badal, the estranged nephew of Badal Senior, was also present.

Parkash Singh Badal’s grief-stricken grandson Anantvir at the SAD office in Chandigarh. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

Grief-stricken party supporters stood in queues at the SAD headquarters to catch a glimpse of their leader for the last time.

The mortal remains are being taken to the former chief minister’s native Badal village in Muktsar district via Rajpura, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Rampura Phul, and Bathinda. The cremation will take place at Badal village at 1pm on Thursday.