I have lost a father figure, a great leader: PM Modi mourning Parkash Singh Badal's death

Modi said Parkash Singh Badal was like a father figure to him. He shared memories of SAD-BJP alliance and his Amritsar visit with Badal.

Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only paid tribute to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, but also shared his memories with the country's oldest politician. The five-time chief minister was cremated and Modi had arrived here to share his grief with his family.

Modi wrote a tribute condoling Badal's death where he said that he was deeply saddened when he received the news of Parkash Singh Badal's death. He said he lost a father figure who guided him for many decades. Sharing memories of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance, Modi said the political climate in Punjab was very different in the mid and late 1990s. He said that in 1997 the state was in complete turmoil and elections were due.

The SAD and the BJP led by Parkash Singh Badal went to the people together, he said adding that the result was a massive victory in the elections. Modi said that the SAD-BJP alliance won the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation election and the Lok Sabha poll. Modi said it was because of Badal's personality that the alliance worked for the state from 1997 to 2017.

Sharing memories of his Amritsar visit, Modi said that after taking oath Badal had told him that they would go to Amritsar together. "He had told me that we will rest for the night and offer prayer and participate in the langar the next day. I was in my room in a guest house. When he came to know about it, he came to my room and collected my belongings. When I asked him why he was taking my things he said that I had to stay with him. Despite repeatedly opposing, Badal did not pay any heed and took me to his room. This shows how generous and broad-hearted person he was," Modi said.

Modi said that Badal was not only a great leader but a gem of a person with a big heart. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the time, Modi said.