'Demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on Nitishji is to sideline him in politics and force him to retire from politics.'
In 2021, the Centre renamed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. But many wonder, why despite the public sentiment the country's highest civilian honour continues to elude the man who put Indian hockey on the world map.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has demanded the Bharat Ratna for Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, calling for the highest civilian honor to be bestowed upon the late leader on the occasion of his 99th birth anniversary. Party leader Sanjay Raut criticized the BJP-led government for awarding the Bharat Ratna to individuals he deemed undeserving and argued that Thackeray, who he described as the "sower of Hindutva seeds," deserves the honor. Raut also emphasized the significance of Thackeray's upcoming birth centenary, asserting that awarding him the Bharat Ratna before the centenary would also be an honor for Veer Savarkar.
Sachin Tendulkar met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Vimarsh Shrinkhala event in New Delhi on Thursday.
In the 76 years since India gained independence, 53 recipients of the Bharat Ratna have been there. That's less than one every year, which is a healthy ratio given there is the sanctity of this gem of an award to preserve. But four recipients for the year were announced in a few days in addition to one announced earlier. That took the total number in 2024 to five in less than a month, the highest for any year, post-Independence, notes Shyam G Menon.
Most politicians and even non-politicians have been honoured because of what they were purported to be electorally worth for the ruling party of their time, argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
The last Bharat Ratna award was conferred upon Pranab Mukherjee in 2019 and was posthumously awarded to Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika and Nanaji Deshmukh. The award was not given to anyone between 2020 and 2023.
The government's decision to confer former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur with the Bharat Ratna is a testament to the socialist leader's enduring efforts as a champion for the marginalised and a stalwart of equality, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday conferred Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, on former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan and two-time former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, posthumously at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Film folk like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Shilpa Shetty, Karan Johar, Vicky Kaushal and Pritam attend RSS' centenary celebrations in Mumbai.
Till now, the maximum Bharat Ratnas were awarded in 1999 when four recipients were given the coveted award.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Centre's decision to confer Bharat Ratna on his political mentor Karpoori Thakur.
Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday passed a resolution urging the central government to confer 'Bharat Ratna', the country's highest civilian award, on legendary industrialist late Ratan Tata.
The 96-year-old leader, the longest serving president of the BJP, said ever since he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as its volunteer at the age of 14 years he has sought reward in only one thing "in dedicated and selfless service of my beloved country in whatever task life assigned to me".
Thakur, popularly known as 'jannayak', served as chief minister from December 1970 to June 1971 and from December 1977 to April 1979.
'Despite being Bihar chief minister twice and an MLA for over three decades, he and my mother used to stay in a jhopri in our village.'
The Sports Ministry has written to the Prime Minister's Office, requesting Bharat Ratna for the late Dhyan Chand in what can considered be its latest push to bestow the hockey legend with India's highest civilian honour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to send out the message that the ruling BJP, unlike its predecessors at the helm, is not guided by parochial politics in recognising contributions in the public life, as the party looks to break new ground during the polls.
Modi spoke to the BJP's longest serving president, who is credited with crafting the party's rise through the 90s when it came to power for the first time as the head of coalition governments under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and congratulated him.
The ceremony was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and the family members of Advani, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X.
India's second Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua welcomed the government's decision to bestow the Bharat Ratna on Sachin Tendulkar but added that five-time World chess champion
The government had earlier announced the country's highest civilian honour for L K Advani and Karpoori Thakur.
Rajaji, an ardent follower of Gandhi, was a freedom fighter, scholar, jurist, statesman and the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna along with S Radhakrishnan and C V Raman.
Hazarika and Deshmukh were given the Bharat Ratna posthumously.
Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary on Friday said the Centre won his heart with the announcement of Bharat Ratna to former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. 'Dil Jeet Liya,' he posted on X.
India's latest batting sensation Virat Kohli on Thursday said Sachin Tendulkar deserves country's highest civilian award -- the Bharat Ratna.
Mumbai MP Sanjay Nirupam said batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has been recommended for the Bharat Ratna and a decision on him being honoured with India's highest civilian decoration will be known in a few days.
Former India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay today said that the legendary Dhyan Chand should be bestowed with the Bharat Ratna as soon as possible.
With these three recipients, 48 eminent people have been conferred the award so far.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Friday said that the party does not share the same stand with Shiv Sena, its alliance partner in Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, over the demand for India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna to Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Bharat Ratna Professor Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao interacting with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, November 23, 2021, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru, where more than 780 computers were damaged due to waterlogging.
The name of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar is one of the most recommended by various groups for the Bharat Ratna award.
Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly joined the chorus in demanding Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, to batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
World Cup-winning Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday joined the growing calls to award batting ace Sachin Tendulkar the Bharat Ratna, saying no cricketer deserves it more than him.
Indian Premier League chairman Rajiv Shukla, on Thursday, took exception to Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's opposition to conferring the Bharat Ratna to Sachin Tendulkar, saying the iconic cricketer deserves the country's highest civilian award.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday and congratulated him on being awarded the Bharat Ratna -- the highest civilian award in the country.
Amid unprecedented political lobbying for the Bharat Ratna, former India cricket captain Ajit Wadekar said master blaster Sachin Tendulkar should be given the country's highest civilian honour. 'If any one has to be given Bharat Ratna it is Sachin Tendulkar, since it is he who deserves [it] the most,' said Wadekar.
Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi made a lightning visit to Mumbai on Sunday evening to pay homage to Lata Mangeshkar.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's family declined the posthumous award.
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