Narendra Modi to pay last respects to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal

Government announce two days of state mourning as a mark of respect for Parkash Singh Badal

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in January 2017.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday pay his last respects to Parkash Singh Badal, a day after the veteran politician and former Punjab chief minister died from an age-related illness at the age of 95.

Mr Singh was the patriarch of Shiromani Akali Dal, a conservative party in northern Punjab and five-time chief minister of the state.

He was undergoing treatment at a hospital in state capital of Chandigarh for the past week.

Mr Modi said the passing of the veteran leader was a “personal loss” to him.

“I have interacted closely with him for many decades and learnt so much from him,” Mr Modi said in a tweet. “He was a colossal figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation. He worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and anchored the state through critical times."

Mr Badal was a village head before he contested assembly elections in 1957.

In 1970, he became the youngest chief minister of an Indian state at the time.

He went on to become the state chief minister five times and established himself as one of the towering leaders in the country.

His party was in an alliance with the BJP since the 1990s but broke ties in the wake of a farmers’ year-long agitation in 2020.

Mr Badal had also returned the Padma Vibhushan – the second highest civilian honour of the country – as a sign of protest against the ruling government's treatment of protesting farmers.

Mr Modi’s government announced two days of state mourning across the country as a mark of respect for the politician.

“On the days of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on these two days,” the government communication said.