Badal death: Chautalas express sorrow, Abhay Singh says former Punjab CM was 'head of our family'

Haryana's Chautalas, who shared a close bond with the Badal family, have expressed sadness at the death of Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal.

"He was the head of our family," said Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala said on Tuesday.

"We are in a state of shock and deeply saddened by his death. For the last five decades, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal had an unbreakable relationship with our family," said Abhay Singh Chautala, the younger son of INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala.

The Chautalas and the Badals, two powerful political families in Haryana and Punjab, have long-standing ties as Badal was a close friend of former deputy prime minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, popularly known as "Tau" Devi Lal.

Even after Devi Lal's death over two decades ago, the bond between the two families grew stronger.

Badal was also a close friend of Om Prakash Chautala, a former Haryana chief minister.

In March, Badal attended Jannayak Janata Party leader Digvijay Singh Chautala's pre-wedding function in Sirsa. Digvijay Chautala is the brother of Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala.

Dushyant Chautala, the great-grandson of Devi Lal, said Badal's demise was an irreparable loss for the nation.

Badal always showered his blessings on the family, Dushyant Chautala said.

Devi Lal's grandson Abhay Singh Chautala called the Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch "the messiah of farmers". He said Badal's death was not only a loss for the family but also for the farmers' community and an irreparable loss to the country.

He added that he would accompany Om Prakash Chautala to Chandigarh on Wednesday to pay homage to Badal.

In view of Badal's death, Om Prakash Chautala's district-level meetings and programmes of Abhay Singh Chautala's "Parivartan Padyatra" have been postponed till Thursday.

"Badal sahab always worked for the betterment of farmers, labourers, Dalits and the deprived sections," said Abhay Singh Chautala.

Devi Lal and Badal together fought a long struggle "to save the democratic system of the country", the INLD leader said and recalled when the two leaders were jailed during the Emergency.

"During the Emergency, my grandfather Chaudhary Devi Lal and Sardar Parkash Singh Badal were jailed for 19 months," he said.

Known for his humility and strong rural roots, the former Punjab chief minister died on Tuesday. He was 95.

Badal, who had not been keeping well for some time, was admitted to Mohali's Fortis Hospital over a week ago after he complained of uneasiness while breathing.