January
12, 2008 Four Political
Heavyweights
in Bharat Ratna Race Now
New Delhi/Lucknow/Kolkata
The unprecedented controversy over the highest civilian honour in
India, Bharat Ratna, deepened further Saturday with another big name
entering the fray.
While the central government is yet to decide on the recipient of
the award, announced Jan 26 every year, more political parties
joined the fray. The names of four political veterans were doing the
rounds Saturday - former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
veteran communist leader Jyoti Basu, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.
Karunanidhi and the late Kanshi Ram of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Kanshi Ram's name was the one that entered the Bharat Ratna race
Saturday.
Senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) L.K. Advani had
set the ball rolling by writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
demanding that Vajpayee be given the award. General secretary of the
Congress Veerappa Moily later said the honour should be conferred on
Basu.
In the midst of the Left-Right war, Karunanidhi's candidature was
also making the rounds. His party the DMK, which is an ally of the
Congress-led UPA government, renewed its demand that was also made
last year.
On Saturday afternoon, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati put
forward the name of the late Kanshi Ram.
In a letter sent to the prime minister, Mayawati drew his attention
to Kanshi Ram's contribution in creating an awakening among Dalits
and other marginalized sections of society.
"Kanshi Ram also did a yeoman service in breaking the barriers
between different lower castes so that these could unite themselves
into a meaningful political force and assert their rights," she
wrote.
As for Basu, the CPI-M does not want to hazard an opinion, lest it
be seen compromising on its official stand against party leaders
receiving awards.
"I don't know about the parameters on the basis of which Bharat
Ratna is conferred on an individual. But if Basu fulfils the
parameters, the union government can think over it," Left Front
chairman Biman Bose said.
Senior CPI-M leader Shymal Chakraborty played safer. "We have not
even discussed it. It is based on a broad consensus (in the party),"
he told IANS Saturday.
CPI-M central committee member Benoy Konar said: "We shall not
object in principle if Bharat Ratna is conferred on Jyoti Basu. But
the party will not recommend his name to the central government as
the BJP is shamelessly doing for Vajpayee."
On the other hand the Communist Party of India (CPI), a member of
the Left front, did have an objection in principle.
CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan said the Left parties were not in
favour of accepting state awards.
"Left parties are anti-establishment. We are fighting the state for
a socialist society. So, we are against any state awards," Bardhan
said.
Anyway, the honour should be given only in exceptional cases,
Bardhan said.
Other Left sources also said that the CPI-M was not keen on Bharat
Ratna for Basu.
Going back to the demand made by Advani, Information and
Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi criticised the leader of
the opposition in the Lok Sabha and said Bharat Ratna could not be
"demanded".
Manmohan Singh had sidestepped the controversy Friday. "It is too
early to decide on who will get the awards," he had told reporters.
The highest civilian award in India was last conferred on shehnai
maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan and Lata Mangeshkar in 2001. Nobody has
been given the award since then.
So far 40 people, including Nelson Mandela - have been conferred the
honour. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman and C. Rajagopalachari
were the recipients in the inaugural year 1954.
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