In recognition to the selfless services rendered by the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal towards the state and its people besides in upholding the ethos of democracy, the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi today described him as the Nelson Mandela of Swatantra Bharat (Free India).Addressing the gathering during ‘Loktantra Prahari Abhinandan’ a program organized to commemorate 113th birth anniversary of Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Narayan here after paying floral tributes to him at Vigyan Bhawan, the Prime Minister said that there were some special families for whom pages of history have been written after they made very little sacrifices. However, he said that it was unfortunate that very few people in the country were aware of the fact that in free India Mr. Badal had been jailed for around two decades solely for political reasons. Mr. Modi said that this great personality had suffered just for the only reason of opposing those in power.Describing Mr. Badal as Nelson Mandela of free India, the Prime Minister said that he has spent so many years in prison and that too for political reasons "Badal Sahab is sitting here...he is the Nelson Mandela of India. The only crime of people like Badal Sahib was that they had political views different from those in power," added Mr. Modi.