Badal sahab will always live in our hearts

When I got the news of the demise of Sardar Prakash Singh Badal ji on the evening of 25th April, I was deeply saddened. In his death, I have lost a father figure who guided me for decades. In a way, he gave such a shape to the politics of India and Punjab, which is wonderful in itself. It is widely accepted that Badal Sahib was a great leader. But more importantly, he was a man with a big heart. It is easy to be a great leader, but it takes a lot more to be a person with a big heart. People all over Punjab say – ‘Badal Sahib’s talk was different’!

It can be said with confidence that in the history of India, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal Saheb will be known as a big farmer leader. Agriculture and farmers were in his heart. Whenever he spoke on any occasion, his speeches were full of facts, latest information and lots of personal experiences. In the 1990s, when I used to oversee the work of the party in North India, I had the opportunity to know Badal Saheb closely. Badal Saheb was a popular leader, a political stalwart who was the youngest Chief Minister of Punjab, a Union cabinet minister and a man who ruled the hearts of millions of Punjabis around the world. On the other hand, I was a simple worker. Yet, true to his nature, he never allowed this to drive a wedge between us. He was a vibrant personality full of warmth as well as sensibility. These were the qualities that stayed with him till his last breath. Everyone who interacted closely with Badal Sahib was convinced of his intelligence and cheerful nature.
The political climate in Punjab was very different in the mid and late 1990s. The state had seen a lot of upheaval and elections were due in 1997. Our parties went together to the people and Badal Saheb was our leader. His popularity and public confidence was one of the main reasons why people blessed us with a resounding victory. Not only this, our alliance also successfully won the municipal elections in Chandigarh and the Lok Sabha seat in the city. It was due to his leadership that our alliance continued to serve the state for 15 years between 1997 and 2017!

There is one incident which I will never forget. One day after taking oath as Chief Minister, Badal Saheb told me that we will go to Amritsar, pay obeisance and have langar together. I reached Amritsar and was in my room in the guest house, but when they came to know about this, they came to my room and started taking my belongings. I asked him why he was doing this, so he said come with me. They took me to the room which is allotted for the chief minister, and then they said you will stay here. Even after my repeated requests, he did not agree and then I had to stay in the same room. And Badal sahib stayed in the other room. Even today, I have not been able to forget his gesture towards a very simple worker like me.

Badal Saheb had special interest in Gaushala and kept different types of cows. During one of our meetings, he told me that he wanted to take care of Gir cows. I arranged 5 cows for him and after that whenever we met he would talk to me about cows. And used to joke that those cows are Gujarati in every way – because they never get angry, agitated, or attack anyone, not even when children are playing. He used to say that even Gujaratis become humble after drinking the milk of these cows.
After 2001, I got a chance to interact with Badal sahib in a different form – now we were the chief ministers of our respective states. I had the privilege of getting Mr. Badal’s guidance on many issues related to agriculture, especially water conservation, animal husbandry and dairy.
Once he told me that he wanted to understand how things work in Alang Shipyard. Then they came there and spent the whole day at Alang Shipyard and got a better understanding of how recycling is done. Punjab is not a coastal state and in a way the shipyard had no direct relevance to him, but he was always interested in exploring and learning new things.

The way he appreciated the efforts of the Gujarat government for the repair and restoration efforts of the holy Lakhpat Gurdwara in Kutch, which was damaged during the 2001 earthquake, was very inspiring for us. Even after the coming of the NDA government at the Center in 2014, I kept getting the benefit of his experience from time to time. He strongly supported several major reforms including the historic GST.
His contribution to our nation is immeasurable. He stood like a strong pillar with those who fought for democracy even during the dark days of Emergency. He always faced the arrogance and oppression of the Congress. Their governments were also dismissed. Even in the difficult times of 1970s and 1980s in Punjab, Badal Saheb spoke of ‘Punjab First’ and ‘India First’. He strongly opposed anything that weakened India or compromised the interests of the people of Punjab, no matter what the cost.
He was always committed to the ideals of the great Guru Sahibs. He made remarkable efforts to preserve the Sikh heritage and pass it on to the new generation. Who can forget his role in providing justice to the 1984 riot victims? Badal Saheb was a person who took everyone along. He worked with leaders of different ideologies. Beyond political gains and losses, the feeling of national unity was always paramount for him.

It will be difficult to fill the void created by the death of Badal Saheb. He was a politician who saw many challenges in life. He may not be among us today, but his personality and work will always inspire us all. We will definitely miss him, but it is also true that he will always be alive in our hearts.

Narendra Modi
Prime Minister