He was also Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from 1972 to 1977, 1980 to 1983 and from 2002 to 2007 and the 11th Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare in the Morarji Desai ministry from 1977 to 1977.

[6] His younger brother Gurdas Singh Badal had also been in politics in both, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Indian National Congress.

[7][8] Badal graduated from the Panjab University and FC College, Lahore and became a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee at a young age.

He was elected to Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 1957 for the first time from the Shiromani Akali Dal political party, when he was hardly thirty years of age.

[17] Badal first became Chief Minister of Punjab in March 1970 and headed a coalition government of Akali Dal - Sant Fateh Singh and Jana Sangh.

In June 1970 Jana Sangh withdrew support from the Badal government over their difference about the place of Hindi in Punjab.

In the 2007 Punjab state election Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government won 67 out of 117 seats and Parkash Singh Badal was sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time.

[25] In the 2012 election, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party combined won 68 seats out of 117,[26] despite a tradition of anti-incumbency in Punjab.

[28] In the 2012–2017 government he held the portfolios of Personnel, General Administration, Power, Cooperation, Science Technology, and Environment, Vigilance and Employment Generation.

[31] Badal was first detained in the Karnal jail in connection with Civil Liberties Agitation later under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Indian Emergency.

He was then imprisoned in 1982 over protesting against the Sutlej Yamuna link canal which would have made the Punjab land barren of water resources.

[32] In the 1977 elections, the Janata Party came to power with an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, running under a platform of democracy and retaining civil liberties.

[32] He was a part of the Dharam-Yudh Morcha and was a close associate of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, even attending his Dastarbandi ceremony.

[39] The memorandum stated, "Like all free people of the world, the Sikh nation, in accordance with the UN declaration on granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples, seeks an independent and sovereign state to break the shackles of apartheid, slavery, colonialism and a retrograde political system and structure.”[39] He publicly shed his separatist ideologue in 1998.

He believed that successive Congress governments at the Centre have been doing "grave injustice" to the state forcing Punjab to share the water in the name of SYL Canal.

With this decision taken on 14 March 2016, the process of denotifying (and dismantling) the 121-km long Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal that was constructed in Punjab to carry water to Haryana has begun.

[49][50] On 11 December 2011, Badal was bestowed upon the title of Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum (literally "Jewel of the religion, pride of the community") by the Akal Takht.

[51] He was awarded this title at Golden Temple complex in the presence of Jathedars of all five Takhts in the form of a "siropa" (robe of honour), a sword and a silver plaque with inscription of the citation of Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum.

[52] Badal was awarded this title for his service towards the Sikh Panth by creating many memorials pertaining to Sikhism such as Virasat-e-Khalsa, besides being imprisoned for long time and having faced atrocities during various movements.

[51] He was given the Padma Vibhushan due to his contributions toward politics, agriculture, infrastructure and service to India by the Indian Government headed by Narendra Modi in March 2015.