From Jawaharlal Nehru To Narasimha Rao, Here's A List of Recipients of Bharat Ratna

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The 96-year-old BJP veteran is credited with crafting the party's rise through the 90s when it came to power for the first time as the head of coalition governments under Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan will be conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Narasimha Rao for his “visionary leadership”, which was key in “making India economically advanced, laying a solid foundation for the country’s prosperity and growth”.

While PM Modi said that the Bharat Ratna is dedicated to former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh’s incomparable contribution to the country. “He had dedicated his entire life to the rights and welfare of farmers,” he wrote.

Last week, BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani accepted the honour of ‘Bharat Ratna’ with “humility and gratitude” and said that the motto — “This life is not mine. My life is for my Nation” — is what inspired his life.

Advani said that ever since he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a volunteer at the age of 14, he has sought just one thing in his life, that is to be “dedicated and selfless” in his service to the nation in “whatever task life assigned” to him.

The announcement came days after the President’s office said socialist leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur will be conferred Bharat Ratna posthumously.

Also Read: LK Advani to be Conferred Bharat Ratna, PM Modi Hails His ‘Monumental Contributions’

Popularly known as Jan Nayak, Thakur was born into an impoverished family in Bihar’s Samastipur district but went on to make giant strides in politics that earned him the epithet Jannayak (people’s leader)

The Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award. It was instituted in the year 1954 and is awarded to people for their exceptional public service and performance of the highest order in any field like literature, science and art.

Also Read: Bharat Ratna for Bihar’s Late CM Karpoori Thakur: All About the ‘Jan Nayak’ Who Mentored Lalu, Nitish Kumar

The Bharat Ratna award has been conferred on 50 people so far, of which 15 were awarded posthumously.