Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
India

Parkash Singh Badal, 88: India's Oldest Chief Minister Is Active As Ever

Jaideep Sarin IANS, 07 Dec, 2015 01:28 PM
    Parkash Singh Badal, India's oldest chief minister, turns 88 on Tuesday but shows no sign of tiredness or any intention of retiring any time soon.
     
     
    Starting his day early, "Badal Saab", as he is referred to by most people around him, actively goes through his daily routine of meetings with officers, ministers, delegations and others who come to meet him.
     
    Badal's 'Sangat Darshan' (meeting with people) programme takes him to several villages and towns across Punjab every week.
     
    The programme is basically to take the government to the doorstep of the people. Hundreds throng every place where he stops and listens to problems and suggestions.
     
    "Badal Saab is always active despite his age. He is alert too and his memory is far better than most of the much younger people around him. He is a real leader of the masses," a close aide of the chief minister, who accompanies him to most places, told IANS.
     
     
    Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, of which Badal is the chief patron and the strongest leader, depends a lot on the charisma of the leader, especially during trying times.
     
    Badal is also a long-time ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party and enjoys warm personal relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
     
    When he turned 87 years old last year, Badal celebrated his birthday with school students in Gidderbaha town in southwest Punjab. He cut over half a dozen birthday cakes that day.
     
    Starting from a simple agricultural background, Badal forayed into politics by getting elected as 'sarpanch' (village headman) in 1947, the same year when the country got independence.
     
    He was first elected to the Punjab assembly in 1957 on the Congress ticket.
     
    After leaving the Congress soon after, Badal ended up opposing the Congress policies and governments. He and the Akali Dal continue to oppose the Congress.
     
     
    Well-known for his witty one-liners and memory of people and events, Badal has always remained centre stage in Punjab's politics in the past over six decades.
     
    Born December 8, 1927, in an agriculturist family in Abul Khurana village near Malout in southwest Punjab, Badal has been chief minister of Punjab five times - 1970-71, 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012 onwards. 
     
    He has been in power in Punjab continuously since March 2007. He briefly remained a union minister in 1977 in the Morarji Desai government.
     
    Badal's wife, Surinder Kaur, died in 2011 from cancer. The Badal couple had two children, son Sukhbir and daughter Preneet.
     
    Badal's close family members are all in the government. 
     
    His son Sukhbir Singh Badal is the Akali Dal president and deputy chief minister and dominates the party and government affairs now.
     
     
    Badal's daughter-in-law Harsimrat Badal is the union minister for food processing. His son-in-law Adaish Pratap Singh Kairon is a cabinet minister in his government as is Harsimrat's younger brother Bikram Singh Majithia.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Haryana Builds A Case For A Separate High Court

    Haryana Builds A Case For A Separate High Court
    Haryana is demanding a separate high court for itself, saying even smaller northeastern states have their own high courts.

    Haryana Builds A Case For A Separate High Court

    Arun Jaitley Promises More, As Moody's Turns Positive On India

    Arun Jaitley Promises More, As Moody's Turns Positive On India
    Sixteen months after it warned of a downgrade, ratings agency Moody's on Thursday raised its outlook on India to positive, hoping for further steps from the Narendra Modi government to push growth. The finance ministry said this was significant and promised more.

    Arun Jaitley Promises More, As Moody's Turns Positive On India

    Punjab BJP MP Wants Dope Tests On Jail Staff, Inmates

    Punjab BJP MP Wants Dope Tests On Jail Staff, Inmates
    A senior BJP leader from Punjab has urged the NHRC to get dope tests conducted on officials posted in jails across the country, especially in the state.

    Punjab BJP MP Wants Dope Tests On Jail Staff, Inmates

    Greenpeace India's License Suspended

    Greenpeace India's License Suspended
    The Indian government on Thursday announced it has "temporarily" suspended the registration of Greenpeace India under the foreign contributions law for "under-reporting" such funding it and conducting transaction of such funds without informing the authorities as required by the law.

    Greenpeace India's License Suspended

    Late Night DJs No Music To Ears Of Punjab's Villagers

    Late Night DJs No Music To Ears Of Punjab's Villagers
    The middle of the night is no time for anyone to keep awake but residents of rural areas near cities and towns in Punjab are being forced to do just that with blaring DJ-led music from 'marriage palaces' (marquees) leaving them sleepless.

    Late Night DJs No Music To Ears Of Punjab's Villagers

    Delhi Road Rage: Three More Arrested

    Delhi Road Rage: Three More Arrested
    Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested three more people, accused of beating to death a 38-year-old motorcyclist over yielding space to their car during a traffic jam in the capital. Another accused had been arrested on Monday, while the fifth accused is on the run.

    Delhi Road Rage: Three More Arrested