At 90, this Akali patriarch still going strong

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Phagwara, January 22

Amid a high-decibel, no-holds-barred election campaign, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal looks calm. Still bearing a small injury mark under the left eye — sustained when a shoe was hurled at him recently — he says that a disciplined life and simran (prayers) allow him to cope with the rough and tumble of politics. The oldest man in the poll fray has rallies to address at Bholath and Tanda Urmur, but the strain of travelling the entire day isn’t visible.

After a night halt at the residence of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s Nawanshahr candidate Jarnail Singh Wahid, he has finished his path, exercise — including cycling — and a session with his physiotherapist, Pankajpreet Singh. He is ready for breakfast when we catch up with him. With a smile he greets us, saying, “Electionan vich tuhanu bhi gaah paata. Sannu taan ghumna painda hai, tussi pattarkar sahiban nu vi saade naal ghumna painda hai (journalists, like politicians, have to be on the move during the elections).”

As he finishes his breakfast of missi roti and dahi (curd), he gets talking about the political scenario; an aggressive bête noire, Capt Amarinder Singh, challenging him in his own bastion (Lambi); his take on the party’s future course; and whether his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, is ready to step into his shoes.

At 90, the “Baba Bohr” of Punjab politics says he has dedicated his life to the party and the state. “I think Sukhbir has proved his worth as a good leader. Having served as the CM for five terms, I have had a successful innings. But the party still wants me to lead in the elections…”

Then, he talks about the recent “disturbances”. “The incidents in which leaders’ vehicles were stoned or a shoe was hurled at me show the desperation of those wanting to create havoc in the state. This is a dangerous trend... the links of Aam Aadmi Party leaders with hardliners have been established. They want to push the state 30 years back and fuel separatist ideology. I look up to these incidents as a challenge thrown at me to serve Punjab till my last breath,” he says, as his staff tells him it’s time to leave as the ‘sangat’ would be waiting. A packet of fruit, dried fruit and boiled water is quickly sent to the SUV outside for him, which will serve as his lunch on a long day.

Known for punctuality, Badal quickly calculates the time it would take him to reach Nadala, a village in Bholath constituency, and immediately decides to move. He is helped in getting inside a Land Cruiser, and a convoy of 10-odd vehicles starts the 45-minute journey. At Nadala, where a crowd is waiting for him, he starts canvassing for Yuvraj Bhupinder Singh, party candidate and son-in-law of former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur. Addressing the gathering, he says, “With seven decades of my life spent in the political arena, I have seen it all. What bothers me is that the Congress and AAP are treating Punjab as a crown jewel both want to grab. The Akali Dal is the only Punjabi party which has safeguarded the interests of Punjabis. The Congress has always done injustice to Punjab, and now it even wants to take away your waters. How will you water your fields?”

“And don’t listen to the false promises made by AAP... they specialise in the art of befooling people. You are intelligent enough to decide who should lead you,” he says amid chants of “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal.” His slow, wobbly gait is in sharp contrast to his unwavering voice as he addresses the voters.

Back in his car, we ask him about his brother, Gurdas Badal, speaking against him in Lambi. “I love him and he loves me dearly. Uh majboor hai te main usdi majboori samajhda haan (I understand his compulsions). He doesn’t mean what he’s being made to speak,” he says. Ask him about his estranged nephew Manpreet Singh Badal and his rise as a Congress leader, and pat comes the reply: “I can’t predict his future in the Congress.”

The CM lists his government’s achievements in the agriculture and healthcare sectors, while accusing Opposition parties of spreading lies against Punjab on the drug menace. He also dismisses any lapse in governance when asked about the politicisation of the police. “Today’s politicians and bureaucrats lack passion and commitment,” he says. Badal claims that his biggest achievement has been keeping the social fabric of Punjab intact, despite many attempts being made to tear it apart.

Realising that he is about to reach his next destination for addressing a rally at Dana Mandi in Tanda Urmur, he quickly brushes up on the facts and figures of the constituency, and the development works done by the government. Once his cavalcade reaches the venue, he steps out to deliver another speech before a crowd. Perhaps it’s their cheering that keeps him going.