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Punjab’s tallest political leader, Parkash Singh Badal, was also a farmer leader. Called a messiah of the farmers, the Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch had an unmatched understanding of Punjab and its intrinsic link to agriculture. His contribution to this field was even mentioned by former prime minister Manmohan Singh in his condolence note.
Badal Senior died at the age of 95 at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday. He is being remembered as a grassroots leader by many, including his political opponents who were left teary-eyed by his demise.
From a village sarpanch to a five-time chief minister of the state, Badal’s decision to support the three controversial farm laws was opposed by the farmers. But Badal then returned his Padma Vibhushan, following which the SAD ended its 25-year-old alliance with the BJP in the state. The party suffered a defeat in the 2022 assembly elections, with the Akali giant losing his last election.
‘Statesman who listened to his opponents’
Many among farmer leaders remembered him as a humble politician, one who had his ear to the ground. Several tweeted on his demise, while others paid obeisance in person at the SAD office in Chandigarh.
Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said, “He used to call us for discussions of matters related to farmers. Many policies were introduced or revoked on my suggestion. Once the union government wanted to introduce the Fasal Bima Yojana, Badal sahab called me and asked the officials to convince me. I told him that it will be destructive for farmers and he did not go ahead with it.”
He added: “He was a statesman, who listened to his opponents – a quality which is now lost.”
Another farmer leader Harmeet Qadian took to Twitter after Badal’s demise. “Badal sahab wasn’t only a tall political leader but he proved himself to be the son of a farmer from time to time,” he tweeted.
“Whether it was the motor bill (free electricity), tractor tax relief, compensation to farmers, it was due to his decisions,” Qadian told News18.
He called Badal’s stand as a “failure” during farmers’ agitation. “We don’t know what happened there, but it was a failure,” he added.
‘Even intelligent leaders make mistakes’
Till the very end, Badal would meet people and listen to their problems. When he was the CM, he would hold ‘sangat darshan’, where he listened to people’s grievances and tried resolving their issues by directly passing them onto officials at the same moment.
“He would meet everyone, he had a connection with people,” said farmer leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal. “As CM he worked for farmers, for villages – creating focal points, free electricity, community centres in villages, renovation of canals, relief on tractor tax,” he added.
On Badal’s statements during the farmer agitation, Lakhowal said, “He was an intelligent leader but even intelligent leaders make mistakes. They were in alliance with the BJP. We don’t know if he gave those statements on his own or was made to. He even returned the Padma Vibhushan later. Ultimately, he will be remembered for what he did for the general public.”
Badal brought in many populist schemes for which he has been criticised. Farmer leader Rajinder Deepsinghwala said, “He did what any leader would have done. Before globalisation, the focus was on public issues, public-oriented policies. After globalisation, Akali government under Badal too went the money-making way.”
‘Keen on doing his bit for agriculture’
Calling Badal’s demise “the end of an era”, agriculture expert Devinder Sharma said, “He knew a lot about the crisis in agriculture. He was keen on doing his bit for agriculture in Punjab. He led the opposition against the move for decentralisation, saying, ‘We produce for the country, the country should pay’.”
Sharma said Badal would discuss policy at length and would even call to discuss it. “I don’t know what happened at party level,” he said, talking about the implementation of these policies. “There was an opportunity for him to do a lot.”
Recalling his suggestions to Badal, Sharma said, “I told him an anecdote about Lachman Singh Gill’s conversation with MS Randhawa, where Gill asked Randhawa – ‘What should I do so that my name is written in history?’ – And Randhawa suggested creating link roads between mandis (procurement centres) and villages.”
Sharma said he suggested to Badal to do this to revive Punjab’s agriculture. “But, when it came to solutions, there was conflict within the party or with his son, in terms of understanding. He could have done better.”
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