New Delhi
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s demand to honour former prime
minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with the country's highest civilian
honour, Bharat Ratna, has triggered a fresh row among political
parties.
While the BJP Friday took strong offence to Information and
Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi's remark that the Bharat
Ratna could not be "demanded", the Left parties jumped in the fray,
saying that veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu could also be given
the award.
A senior CPI-M leader took strong exception to the BJP's attempt to
"politicise" the award.
Responding to media persons' questions in Kolkata, CPI-M politburo
member Biman Bose said: "I don't know the parameters under which
Bharat Ratna is awarded or whether Vajpayee fulfils that criteria.
But it is definite that they are doing politics over it."
Asked whether Basu should be awarded the Bharat Ratna, Bose said: "I
don't know whether Basu fulfils the parameters. If he fulfils it,
Basu can be given the highest civilian award."
Meanwhile, the BJP reacted sharply to Dasmunsi's comments. "It is a
communication between the Leader of the Opposition (L.K. Advani) and
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. What does a union minister have to do
with it?" BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said to reporters here.
Advani had written to the prime minister proposing Vajpayee's name
for the honour for Vajpayee's contribution to the nation and
strengthening democracy. Wondering why the Leader of Opposition had
written such a letter, Dasmunsi said a committee formed by the
government would decide on the awards.
"Such matters are not decided though letters," the minister said.
The Bharat Ratna was last conferred on shehnai maestro Ustad
Bismillah Khan and India's nightingale Lata Mangeshkar in 2001.
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