Cong jeers at Advani, says he did no service to Atal

New Delhi: The Government has put the lid on the Bharat Ratna debate after it decided not to bestow the nation's highest civilian honour on anyone for the consecutive seventh year.

And as soon as it became clear that no Bharat Ratna will be awarded this year, Congress leaders grabbed the opportunity to taunt LK Advani, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party leader did no service to Atal Bihari Vajpayee by publicly demanding the honour for the former prime minister.

Congress politicians have blamed Advani for creating a 'mess' with his public appeal for Vajpayee. "If he (Advani) was really serious about Vajpayee's recommendation, he should have personally talked to the Prime Minister instead of writing letters and publicising the issue," Congress leader M Veerapa Moily said.

"This has only created unnecessary embarrassment for Vajpayee. I feel that in the first instance the request should not have been made in the form of a letter," Congress General Secretary Margaret Alva claimed.

Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had cited 10 reasons why he thought Vajpayee was worthy of a Bharat Ratna. But criticism followed him.

"Institutions like Bharat Ratna have been sullied but what Advani did is extremely unacceptable," said Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Nilotpal Basu.

Advani's suggestion then sparked a deluge of names, all for the Bharat Ratna: from Jyotiba Phule, proposed by Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan, to late singer Mohammad Rafi, former prime minister Charan Singh and socialist veteran Karpoori Thakur.

Congress minister Meira Kumar put up the name of her late father and Dalit icon Jagjivan Ram.

Not to be left behind, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister proposed the name of her mentor Kanshi Ram while Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK sought the honour for Chief Minister MK Karunanidhi.

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And while Advani felt Vajpayee was a worthy candidate, none of the BJP allies backed the party. Even the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, the BJP's ideological mentor, was not enthused by Advani's recommendation.

The RSS proposed the name of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The Shiromani Akali Dal has come up with the name of its leader and Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal for Bharat Ratna. The Janata Dal (Biju) recommended the name of Biju Patnaik.

Veteran CPI-M leader and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu's name was also considered for the Bharat Ratna. But he said he was not interested.

The CPI-M, too, rejoiced at Advani's predicament. "Advani has been too long in politics to know (better). There are procedures to be followed in such matters," party leader Nilotpal Basu said.

The BJP, however, still feels that Vajpayee, the first non-Congress prime minister to rule India for five years, deserves a Bharat Ratna.

"Advani reminded the government that Atalji deserved it. The government should take it as a positive thing and not play politics over it," BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Asked about the lack of unanimity within the Sangh Parivar, Naqvi said: "The RSS and the Sangh have a right to have their own views on the issue."