Gurdas Singh Badal, father of Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, passed away Thursday night due to cardiac arrest at Mohali’s Fortis Hospital.

GURDAS SINGH Badal, father of Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, passed away Thursday night due to cardiac arrest at Mohali’s Fortis Hospital. He was 90.

He was cremated in his ancestral village Badal in Muktsar district on Friday. He was the younger brother of former Punjab chief minister and SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal.

According to a tweet by the state finance minister, “His health had started deteriorating after my mother’s death in March and he was on life support system for past few days.” Manpreet’s mother had passed away on March 19.
Manpreet in his tweet had also stated, “Keeping in view the pandemic, we will like to request all friends and well wishers to refrain from attending the funeral ceremony which will be held at our ancestral village.”

Gurdas Badal used to handle the entire election campaign of his elder brother Parkash in Lambi constituency, when the whole family was part of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Gurdas Badal had won Lok Sabha election from Fazilka in 1971, before which he served as a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from March 1967 to April 1969. However, in the 2012 Vidhan Sabha elections, he had unsuccessfully contested against his elder brother Parkash from Lambi. His son Manpreet had formed the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) after quitting SAD. Later, Manpreet joined the Congress.

‘Pash te Dass di jodi’

Though the families went different ways politically after 2012, Gurdas and Parkash used to regularly meet and were popular in the area as ‘Pash te Dass di jodi’. Last December, Parkash Singh Badal had celebrated his birthday with his younger brother by cutting two cakes, despite the fact that Gurdas’s birthday was in August.

Parkash Singh Badal posted an emotional messade on the party’s social media page: “I am speechless today, It is a loss that no language has words to describe. Never felt lonelier in my life. Hard to even think that he won’t be by my side now. My thoughts go to Manpreet and other children. Praying for peace to him and strength to us.” The post was accompanied by a picture of both brothers sitting together and drinking tea.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is the nephew of Gurdas Badal, and Sukhbir’s wife Union Minister Harsimrat Badal and their daughters also the attended funeral. Sukhbir and Manpreet together gave shoulder to the body before it was taken to cremation ground.

“It is a personal loss to our family, especially to my father. This void will never be filled…”

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in his condolence message stated: “Deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of S. Gurdas Singh Badal. Join my colleague Manpreet Badal and the family in this moment of grief…Rest in peace!”