SAD leaders, workers to gather at party office in Chandigarh to pay their last respects to Parkash Singh Badal

Chandigarh: Following the demise of former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron Parkash Singh Badal, his followers and supporters will gather at the party office in Chandigarh to pay their last respects on Wednesday morning.

According to party leaders, Badal's mortal remains will be placed for paying last respects at the SAD office in Chandigarh from 10:00 am to noon on Wednesday.

"With profound grief, we inform abt the demise of 5-time CM & SAD patron S Parkash Singh Ji Badal. Mortal remains will be placed for paying last respects at SAD office in Chandigarh from 10 am to 12 noon tom following which they will be taken to vill Badal. Cremation will be held on April 27," SAD said in a tweet.

The senior Punjab politician passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday.

He breathed his last at Fortis Hospital in Mohali. His last rites will be performed at 1 pm in the ancestral village Badal tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government declared two days of national mourning after the demise of Badal.

The flag will be flown at half-mast across the country for two days, while all official entertainment programs have been cancelled.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressing grief said that Badal held a special place in Indian politics. "Received the sad news of the demise of former Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. Shri Badal ji had a special place in Indian politics. May God give place to the departed soul in his holy feet and give strength to the bereaved family members and supporters to bear this sorrow. Om Shanti!," Tweeted Dhami in Hindi.

Congress MP and member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, Manish Tewari called Parkash Singh Badal the leader of the masses and grieved over his demise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolence on his demise and said that Badal was a colossal figure in Indian politics and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Extremely saddened by the passing away of Shri Parkash Singh Badal Ji. 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".

Badal was admitted to ICU on April 21, following complaints of breathing difficulties, according to the party. Parkash Singh Badal served as the Chief Minister of Punjab multiple times. He was the CM from 1970-1971, from 1977-1980, from 1997-2002, and from 2007-2017. He was also the youngest CM to have ever held office in the state of Punjab.

(ANI)