Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government over its decision to confer India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Raut claimed that the former PM is being awarded the Bharat Ratna simply for political gains. He further added that the BJP took this decision so that Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary could join the NDA fold.
He also noted that by the law, only three people can be awarded the Bharat Ratna but five people were awarded this year.
"Bharat Ratna is given after seeing the political benefits of it. The law is that in a year only three people can be awarded with Bharat Ratna... Five people are being given. All this is being done for political benefits... Chaudhary Charan Singh is being awarded Bharat Ratna because they want Jayant Chaudhary to join their party," Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
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Raut's comments come a day after he demanded that Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and freedom fighter Veer Savarkar be conferred the country's highest civilian honour. Raut said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that PM Modi "who calls himself Hindutva-vadi has once again forgotten Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray."
“Prime Minister Modi who calls himself Hindutva-vadi has once again forgotten Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray. First two and now three leaders have been honoured with Bharat Ratna in barely one month. However, neither Veer Savarkar nor Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray who deserve Bharat Ratna more than anyone else have been fully ignored,” Raut said in his post on X.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the Bharat Ratna will be conferred upon former prime ministers PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and MS Swaminathan, father of the Green Revolution in India.
Prior to these two, veteran BJP leader LK Advani and former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur were also conferred the Bharat Ratna.
While Raut cried foul on the Bharat Ratna given to Chaudhary Charan Singh, the former PM's grandson and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary expressed his gratitude towards PM Modi in no uncertain terms. He also said that he is not in a position to refuse joining hands with the BJP.
"Talking about seats or votes will make this day less important when I am being congratulated and PM Modi has given a decision which proves he understands the basic sentiments and character of the nation," the RLD leader said.