New Delhi: After the Centre announced Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar and Prof CNR Rao, the demand for the highest civilian honour has been coming from all quarters. The BJP was the first to demand Bharat Ratna for the ailing former prime minister AB Vajpayee. Within minutes, others too joined the chorus.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar backed the BJP's demand, but added the name of socialist icon Ram Manohar Lohia to the list of deserving greats. Union minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah, who once broke the bread with Vajpayee endorsed the BJP's demand.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu who is facing the toughest electoral battle of his life in Andhra Pradesh has demanded Bharat Ratna for his father-in-law and Telugu cinema legend the late NT Rama Rao. He has been demanding the honour for NTR for a long time.
But, the critics want to know why he made no such attempts to get the Bharat Ratna for NTR during the NDA regime between 1999-2004. The TDP was the second largest alliance partner of the NDA government.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan is now demanding the Bharat Ratna for both A B Vajpayee and Hockey wizard Dhyanchand.
The list does not end here. The Dravida parties in Tamil Nadu have been demanding Bharat Ratna for the tallest leader of the Dravida movement Periyar.
In neighboring Karnataka the BJP feels that centenarian seer Dr. Shivakumara Swamy of Siddaganga Mutt should be given Bharat Ratna. The former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa led several delegations with the demand to the Centre during his tenure.
In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena followers feel that it s founder the late Bal Thackeray is the most deserving. In Orissa, the ruling BJD wants Bharat Ratna for 'Kalinga Putra' and the legendary chief minister of Orissa the late Biju Patnaik.
In Assam, they want it for the legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika, who died a few years ago. During the good old days, the then leader of the SP Amar Singh had demanded Bharat Ratna for Amitabh Bachchan.
There was even a feeble demand to consider the name of father of economic reforms the late Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao for the highest national honour from a section of the political workers, a few years ago.
BSP chief Mayawati won't miss any opportunity to tell the world that the BSP founder Kanshi Ram is the most deserving personality for the award.
RLD chief Ajit Singh feels that his father Chaudhury Charan Singh should have got it long ago. Some retired army men have been demanding that honour should go to Field Marshal KM Cariappa and Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw.
The former judge of the Supreme Court and the chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI) Justice Markandey Katju once sent a long list of deserving people. His list included the names of Urdu poet Ghalib and Dhyanchand.
A few years ago, some software professionals demanded Bharat Ratna for Infosys chairman NR Narayanamurthy. The cooperative movement leaders regret that the AMUL founder and father of "While Revolution" Verghese Kurien did not get it. They say there is still time to bestow the honour on him.
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