Chandigarh, April 26

The mortal remains of Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal were brought to the party office here on Wednesday as scores of people and political leaders assembled to pay homage to the five-time Punjab chief minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Chandigarh on Wednesday and went to the SAD office here to pay his last respects to Badal.

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.

Throughout his political career, Badal had once compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to former US President Abraham Lincoln.

Badal had not been keeping well and was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali near here on April 16 after he complained of uneasiness in breathing. He died on Tuesday aged 95.

The Punjab government has declared a holiday on Thursday as a mark of respect to the former chief minister. According to an official order, all government offices, departments, boards, corporations and educational institutions in the state will remain shut on Thursday.