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.
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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.
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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
Key Achievements
- » He was one of the founder members of the erstwhile Bharatiya Janatha Sangh which later became the Bharatiya Janata Party
- » His birthday (December 25) was declared as Good Governance Day by the Narendra Modi government
- » He has served as the Prime Minister of India thrice
- » His pet projects were the National Highway Development Project and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
- » In 2001, the Vajpayee government launched the famous Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which aimed at improving the quality of education in primary and secondary schools.
- » He was the strong political voice behind the Ram Janmabhomi Movement which sought to build a temple for the Hindu God Rama in Ayodhya
Choosing the jewels of India by Gautam Bhatia
To open the Bharat Ratna to sports or other professional endeavours is confusing public success and stature with achievement in public life
> Vajpayee is an international icon: Rajnath Singh | > Vajpayee receives the honour at his home | >All you need to know about the Bharat Ratna |