Bharat Ratna for former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Madan Mohan Malviya

mangaloretoday.com/ NDTV

New Delhi, Dec 24:  The government is all set to announce its decision to confer the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and freedom fighter and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya, sources said today.

PM Modi is expected to send a recommendation for the Bharat Ratna Awards on Wednesday afternoon to President Pranab Mukherjee, said sources.

The announcement about conferring India’s highest civilian honour on Mr Vajpayee will reportedly be made on the eve of the veteran BJP leader’s birthday, which falls on December 25. The day is also being celebrated by the central government, led by his party, as ’good governance day’.

 

Mr Vajpayee will be the first leader from the country’s political right to be conferred the honour, said sources.

A final decision to confer the award was reportedly taken at a meeting PM Modi held with top BJP leaders including Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, the party president.

The BJP has been demanding the Bharat Ratna for Mr Vajpayee for the last five years. It had criticised the UPA government in 2013 when, despite its demands that Mr Vajapyee be conferred the award, the government conferred the honour on cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist CNR Rao.

A Bharat Ratna for Dr Madan Mohan Malaviya, popularly known as ’Mahamana’, was one of the promises made by the Prime Minister during the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. The Banaras Hindu University, founded by the educationist, is in the PM’s constituency in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi.

The Bharat Ratna Award, instituted on January 2, 1954, is conferred "in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex.

Recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President.

Recipients receive a certificate or Sanad signed by the President and a peepal-leaf shaped medallion. The award does not include any monetary grant.

Till date, 43 illustrious men and women have been honoured with the prestigious award, including leading politician C Rajagopalachari, scientist C V Raman and singer Lata Mangeshkar.