The conferring of the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, on the veteran parliamentarian and former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Friday saw leaders, cutting across political lines, greeting him on the occasion.
If Congress president Sonia Gandhi felicitated him, writing a letter in which she saluted his “broad and large-hearted vision,” “patriotism” and “eloquent oratory” that “always embraced the entire political spectrum and all sections of our society,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed made the journey to the national capital to be present on the occasion.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulated Mr. Vajpayee.
Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the award for Mr. Vajpayee.
Departing from protocol, President Pranab Mukherjee drove to Mr. Vajpayee’s Krishna Menon Marg residence to give away the award.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other Cabinet Ministers, besides RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat, Mr. Vajpayee’s foster daughter Namita Bhattacharjee and foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharjee. The ceremony was held away from media glare.
The citation highlighted Mr. Vajpayee’s efforts to improve relations with Pakistan. Mr. Vajpayee “represents a moderating influence against polemic by encouraging dialogue,” it said.
Bharat Ratna for Atal Bihari Vajpayee
The BJP has been demanding Bharat Ratna for Mr. Vajpayee for a long time; and BJP patriarch L.K. Advani has been at the forefront of seeking the highest civilian honour for the former Prime Minister
> Vajpayee is an international icon: Rajnath Singh | > Vajpayee receives the honour at his home | >All you need to know about the Bharat Ratna |