New Delhi: NDA-led Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will honoured former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya with the highest civilian award of India Bharat Ratna.
PM Modi had recommended their names to President Pranab Mukherjee.
In a statement from President’s office has said, “The President has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) and to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.”
Notify that Vajpayee was the three-time PM and considered the gold standard of leadership in the BJP.
He will be the first leader from the country’s political right to be given a Bharat Ratna.
The announcement comes a day before the birthday of the veteran BJP leader, who turns 90 on Thursday, Christmas Day, being celebrated by the central government as ‘good governance day’.
The decision was taken at a meeting PM Modi held with top BJP leaders including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Amit Shah.
Senior BJP leader LK Advani, a long-time political associate of Mr Vajpayee, said he has a “blemish free record and deserves the Bharat Ratna.”
A Bharat Ratna for Dr Madan Mohan Malviya, the freedom icon and educationist popularly known as “Mahamana”, was one of the promises made by PM Modi during his the campaign for the national election.
The Banaras Hindu University had been founded by Dr Malviya and is in the Prime Minister’s constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
The Bharat Ratna Award had been instituted in 1954 and recognizes “exceptional service or performance of the highest order.”
Till now 43 people have been honoured with the Bharat Ratna which includes leading politician C Rajagopalachari, scientist C V Raman and singer Lata Mangeshkar.
Bureau Report
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