PM Modi pays last respects to former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal

Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday paid his last respects to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal who died at a private hospital in Mohali.

Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Badal was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali on April 16 after he complained of uneasiness in breathing. He breathed his last around 8 pm Tuesday. He was 95.

The mortal remains of Badal, who straddled the politics of Punjab for over seven decades, have been kept at the party office here as scores of mourners assembled to pay their last respects.

Modi had on Tuesday described the demise of Badal as a "personal loss" and said he was a colossal figure of Indian politics who contributed greatly to the nation.

"Extremely saddened by the passing away of Parkash Singh Badal Ji. He was a colossal figure of Indian politics and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation," Modi had said in a tweet.