The News Minute | December 25, 2014 | 5:50 pm IST
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the late freedom fighter and educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) were named for the Bharat Ratna on December 24.
Everyone immediately rejoiced and celebrated for what was not there to celebrate. The Bharat Ratna is after all India's highest civilian honour and a recipient should obviously have well established credentials.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee re-started the Bharatiya Jan Sangh as the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980 and was the first head of government from outside the Congress party to serve a full five-year term.
Allahabad-born Malaviya was the president of the Indian National Congress for two terms and was also among the first leaders of the right-wing Hindu Mahasabha. Besides being a freedom fighter and politician, he was also an eminent educationist. The Banaras Hindu University was founded by him in 1916.
But after these announcements were made there were various political parties, organizations and individuals making demands that the government consider giving those whom they suggested the prestigious award, some of these demands have been long standing too.
In March a demand that the Metro Man E. Sreedharan be given the award was made by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"I demand Bharat Ratna to Sreedharan, who has given a gift to the country in the form of Delhi Metro. I will write a letter to the Centre in this regard,"he had said.
(E Sreedharan - more famously known as Metro Man)
In August, the name of Prof. Manjul Bhargava, who had received the Fields Medal, otherwise known as Nobel Prize in Mathematics, was propounded by Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy.
""Since there is so much debate on who should get the Bharat Ratna - here is a man who deserves it. But it is so sad, we did not recognize Ramanujan (mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan). We have more than 200 years of proven record that we have potential in the field of math," Murthy had said.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi in August had written to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Modi seeking the conferment of a Bharat Ratna for party founder C N Annadurai during the ensuing republic day.
(DMK founder Annadurai with former Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi)
Karunanidhi was quoted as saying “Mr Annadurai fully deserves the highest civilian award. He was a great social reformer, writer, orator and Litterateur.”
However, a day after the Bharat Ratna was awarded to Vajpayee and Malaviya, he amended his demand. Apart from C N Annadurai he also wanted the government to honour social reformer E V Ramasamy Naicker with the Bharat Ratna.
“I once again insist the President and Prime Minister to confer the honour on Periyar and Annadurai and honour Tamil Nadu and the Dravidian movement,” he said.
The Telangana government, in late August, had decided to recommend the name of former prime minster P V Narasimha Rao for the Bharat Ratna. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had claimed that Narasimha Rao, a native of Telangana himself, did not get his due recognition for his service to the nation.
[Former Prime Minister P.V Narasimha Rao (1991-1996)]
Ghazal maestro late Jagjit Singh's name was put forth by his wife Chitra Singh. "I think he deserves the Bharat Ratna, no less. The country must give him his due. Manmohan Singh-ji released two commemorative stamps on February 8 of Jagjit-ji. That was okay. But what about the recognition that Jagjit Saab deserves," Chitra asked.
(Music Maestro Jagjit Singh in concert)
When the eminent jurist Justice V R Krishna Iyer passed away earlier this month, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court Anil Divan made a plea that he be honoured with the Bharat Ratna.
"If there was ever a legal luminary to be honoured with a Bharat Ratna, there would be no better choice than the late Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer," Divan had said.
NDA ally, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from Andhra Pradesh has asked the President to consider former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP founder, N T Rama Rao for the great honour.
(N T Rama Rao during his acting days)
The Shiv Sena has now demanded that its founder patriarch, late Bal Thackeray should also be honoured posthumously with the Bharat Ratna.
Former Chairman of the Press Council of India and retired judge of the Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju suggested a list of 5 names whom he considered were to be awarded the Bharat Ratna. The list included Urdu poet late Mirza Ghalib, physician late Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, social activist late Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyaya, freedom fighter and poet late Subramania Bharati and celebrated rural journalist of India P. Sainath.
Read - What was so great about Vajpayee and Malaviya, both don't deserve Bharat Ratna: Justice Katju
Senior journalist Shekhar Gupta said that the "most deserving case" was of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and that no soldier was ever honoured with the Bharat Ratna.
Seriously on Bharat Ratna now, most deserving case for Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. Politics, science, arts, sport, all have BRs, no soldier
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) December 24, 2014Whenever the announcement of the nominees have been made demands and allegations have ensued. The greatness of the moment is often lost in allegations and counter allegations.
Currently the names are decided by the Prime Minister, meaning the Union Cabinet, and is sent to the President for his assent. The President, with his limited powers under the Constitution, is bound by the decision of the cabinet.
Wouldn't the allegations be reduced if the decision was taken not by the Union government alone, and instead by a select committee involving individuals from various fields?