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Owaisi questions highest honours for Vajpayee, Advani

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Photo: ARIJIT SEN, DNA

Photo: ARIJIT SEN, DNA

Hyderabad: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has kicked up a row by questioning the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan awards being given to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and BJP patriarch L K Advani.

How can the country’s second highest civilian honour, Padma Vibhushan, be given to Advani who was facing criminal cases (in connection with the Babri masjid demolition), Owaisi said here at a book release function last night.

“The same L K Advani who spread destruction in the country with his ‘Rathyatra’…This could probably be the first instance of Padma Vibhushan being given to a person who is facing criminal cases,” the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen leader said.

As to Vajpayee, Owaisi alleged that the BJP stalwart had made some controversial comments on the Ayodhya issue, the videos of which were available on the YouTube.

“Have we forgotten December 5 (1992)? The same Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had said ‘we are going to level the ground’ (has been now given the Bharat Ratna),” he claimed.

(PTI)

Four reasons why Vajpayee doesn't deserve Bharat Ratna

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The award is given in recognition of exceptional service rendered without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. Our former prime minister doesn’t fulfil this criteria.

vajpayee

by MD Hussain Rahmani, DailyO

President Pranab Mukherjee has announced India’s highest civilian awards for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and freedom fighter and scholar Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously). In the latter case, the present regime is extending its drive to appropriate historical icons.

As always, the first reactions came on Twitter. Noted historian Ramchandra Guha tweeted, “Giving Vajpayee a Bharat Ratna is fine, but one should not award it to people dead or long dead. Awarding Malaviya is a mistake. If Malaviya, why not give Tagore, Phule, Tilak, Gokhale, Vivekananda, Akbar, Shivaji, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Ashoka, Bharat Ratnas too?”

However, in my view, conferring the Bharat Ratna to Vajpayee raises more important questions. Here are four strong reasons of mine that weaken Vajpayee’s case for the prestigious award:

1. Bharat Ratna only for being a prime minister: While Bharat Ratna is an award for life-time service, it is only Vajpayee’s prime ministerial tenure that is being considered as exceptional and unblemished. Even as PM, some of his decisions were highly controversial. One was the famous surrender to the IC-814 hijackers and releasing dreaded terrorist Masood Azhar in return for the safety of the hostages. After the release, Azhar’s outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammed, carried out several attacks on our country, including the attack on Parliament in 2001.

2. Architect of Babri Masjid demolition: Listen to his speech that he delivered on December 5, 1992 in Ayodhya. He is openly calling for the demolition of the disputed structure. Was it without distinction of race or religion? What happened after the demolition will always haunt us as it severely dented India’s pluralist nature and ethos.

3. Even his role during India’s freedom struggle has always been in question: His controversial confessional statement before a magistrate during the Quit India Movement in 1942 indicted two freedom fighters. This aspect of his life was even raised by some of his detractors in Parliament after he became PM in 1998.

4. Vajpayee’s communal rant: Contrary to his image as a moderate statesman, he spewed venom against the Muslim community during his speech at the BJP conclave in Goa, barely a few months after the 2002 Gujarat riots. This is what he said: “Wherever Muslims live, they don’t like to live in co-existence with others; they don’t like to mingle with others; and instead of propagating their ideas in a peaceful manner, they want to spread their faith by resorting to terror and threats.”

Do these comments reflect someone who deserves a Bharat Ratna?

Discrimination against Dalits in giving Bharat Ratna: Mayawati

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"Kanshi Ram should have been honoured keeping in mind his sacrifices and contribution. Similarly, Jyotiba Phule, who belonged to a backward caste," Mayawati said.

“Kanshi Ram should have been honoured keeping in mind his sacrifices and contribution. Similarly, Jyotiba Phule, who belonged to a backward caste,” Mayawati said.

Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati today charged the NDA government with discriminating against Dalit icons like Kanshi Ram while awarding Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya.

She also attacked the Narendra Modi government for adopting the “ordinance route” on key issues.

“Just like the previous Congress-led UPA government, the NDA government is adopting the same discriminatory attitude while honouring two persons of the same caste – Vajpayee and Malviya – with the Bharat Ratna recently,” she told a press conference here.

“Kanshi Ram should have been honoured keeping in mind his sacrifices and contribution. Similarly, Jyotiba Phule, who belonged to a backward caste, should have been given the award for his work in the field of education and efforts to establish equality in society,” she said.

“Many other deserving persons have been ignored,” she rued.

Taking exception to the Modi government adopting the ordinance route, Mayawati said this was not in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution.

Her remarks came against the backdrop of ordinance amending the Land Acquisition Act envisaging procuring land for industrial corridors, rural infrastructure, defence and housing, and insurance ordinance raising foreign investment limit in the sector to 49 per cent from 26 per cent, besides an ordinance to push coal auction.

On the land acquisition ordinance, she said it was against the interest of farmers. “I do not find it right…the amendments could have been brought in the next session of Parliament.”

(PTI)

Vajpayee, Malaviya to get Bharat Ratna

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya (file photos)

Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya (file photos)

New Delhi: A day ahead of their birth anniversaries, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the late freedom fighter-educationist and the initial leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha, Madan Mohan Malaviya were named for India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.

“The president has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthmously) and to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said.

Incidentally, both Vajpayee and Malaviya were born Dec 25 — the former in 1924 and the latter in 1861. Their birthday has also been declared as “Good Governance Day” by the government.

The honour for Gwalior-born Vajpayee, who was the country’s prime minister first in 1996 and then again from 1998 to 2004, came after years of demands from people across party affiliations and the public at large.

The 90-year-old veteran politician had re-started the Bharatiya Jan Sangh as the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980 and was the first head of government from outside the Congress party to serve a full five-year term.

He served the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, for 10 terms that began in 1957 and concluded in 2009.

An orator par excellence, Vajpayee had earned much fame as India’s external affairs minister in Prime Minister Morarji Desai government during which tenure he delivered a widely acclaimed speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi.

Allahabad-born Malaviya was the president of the Indian National Congress for two terms and was also among the first leaders of the right-wing Hindu Mahasabha. Besides being a freedom fighter and politician, he was also an eminent educationist.

The Banaras Hindu University was founded by him in 1916. He died a year before India’s independence Aug 15, 1947.

Congress welcomes decision

The Congress Wednesday welcomed the decision to confer the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and late freedom fighter and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya.

Congress general secretary Ajay Maken tweeted a congratulatory message after the announcement was made.

“We welcome the conferring of Bharat Ratna on Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya and Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. We congratulate,” Maken said.

(IANS)

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