New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday paid his respects to former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh, who passed away on April 25.

Having complaint of breathing issues, the veteran politician and Akali Dal patriarch was admitted to a hospital in Mohali.

“Despite appropriate medical management S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness. Fortis Hospital Mohali deeply condoles the death of S Parkash Singh Badal,” the hospital said in a statement.

Prime Minister Modi extended his condolences of Twitter and said, “Deeply saddened by the demise of Mr. Parkash Singh Badalji. He was a towering figure in Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed a lot to our country. He worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and led the state in critical times.”

“The death of Shri Parkash Singh Badal is a personal loss for me. I have interacted closely with him for decades and learned a lot from him,” he added.

Centre announced 2-day state mourning across India

In an official order, the Centre announced mourning period of 2 days across the nation. “On the days of mourning, the national flag will be flown half mast on all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on these two days,” a government statement said,” read the order.

The SAD supremo started with serving as a village sarpanch. He later contested Assembly election first time in 1957.

Badal broke up with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2020 owing to the farmers protest followed by the three “black farms laws.”

To mark his protest against the Centre, SAD patriarch had even returned Padma Vibhushan award – the second highest civilian honour of the country.