BackWhy no Bharat Ratna for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, asks BJP
Ravishankar Prasad calls Vajpayee the most popular PM, who also contributed to formation of Chhattisgarh
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Raipur: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday asked why India’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, has not been conferred on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
“Bharat Ratna awarded to Sachin Tendulkar and scientist C. N. R. Rao. I congratulate them. But today I am raising a question here that why Atal Bihari Vajpayee has not been awarded Bharat Ratna? He contributed in the formation of Chhattisgarh and he was the most popular prime minister...," deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad, told reporters in Raipur.
He also expressed anger over the ‘Iron Man of India’ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. “Sardar Patel was a ‘ratna’ (gem) of the country. He died in 1950 while Bharat Ratna was conferred on him in 1991. Why 41 years of delay in giving the award? Between that period Jawahar Lal Nehru was (PM) for 17 years, Indira Gandhi for 16 years and Rajiv Gandhi for 5 years, and Bharat Ratna was given to several people, then why Patel was given after 41 years," Prasad asked. “I am saying all this today because the perspective of Congress towards political leaders for awarding Bharat Ratna does not go beyond the dynasty," he said.
Prasad, however, said after the next general elections if BJP comes to power, it will felicitate Vajpayee with the highest civilian honour, which he deserves.
Reacting to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s statement calling BJP a “party of thieves," he said such kind of unparliamentary words were not even used by his great-grandfather, grandmother or father. “Rahul Gandhi is the great grandson of Nehru ji, grandson of Indira ji and son of Rajiv Gandhi...they have not used such unparliamentary word for any opposition parties... what Rahul has learned from his ancestors," he asked.
Citing a newspaper report in which the Centre’s labour department ranked Chhattisgarh lowest in rate of unemployment, he said Rahul should do his homework when he claims that people are unemployed in Chhattisgarh.
Bestow Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee: Farooq
Union minister Farooq Abdullah backed BJP’s demand saying he is bigger that the award itself. The new and renewable energy minister said he would make a “personal request" for bestowing the honour on Vajpayee.
“I am not a BJP man but I’m an Indian and I think no one can forget that he is a fine leader," Abdullah said on the sidelines of a blood donation camp organised by paramilitary CRPF in New Delhi. “I must tell you that the first time he talked in Lok Sabha, Jawaharlal (Nehru) jee went to him (Vajpayee) and said one day you will be the prime minister of this country. Nehru said this when no one could think that he would be PM one day," he said.
“I would personally request that a such a big personality (Vajpayee), who is bigger than the Bharat Ratna, should be given the due honour and it should be given now itself." Abdullah’s National Conference (NC) was a part of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) but it left the fold after the Gujarat riots.
Nitish backs BJP’s demand
Leaving aside acrimony with his former NDA ally BJP, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday backed its demand to bestow the Bharat Ratna on the former prime minister. “He deserves it. Why should not it be given to him," Kumar, who served as railway minister in the Vajpayee cabinet, said when asked if he supported Bharat Ratna for the former prime minister.
Kumar, who is the driving force of Janata Dal-United (JD-U), also made a strong case for giving the award to Rammanohar Lohia, his ideological guru, and Karpoori Thakur, who was chief minister of the state in 1977.
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