Prakash Singh Badal passed away

Parkash Singh Badal, the former chief minister of Punjab and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch, passed away at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday. He was 95.

Badal, a five-time chief minister, was admitted to the intensive care unit of private hospital following complaints of breathing difficulties on Sunday.

In June last year, Badal was hospitalised following a complaint of gastritis and bronchial asthma. In February last year, he was taken to a private hospital in Mohali for a post-Covid health check-up during which he had undergone cardiac and pulmonary check-ups too.

The SAD was an ally of the ruling BJP but left the saffron party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2020 over the passage of three agri-marketing bills in Parliament. The party also pulled out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with the resignation of Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Cabinet.