Noted educationist and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya was on Monday posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has joined in the Bharat Ratna debate saying her father and former India badminton star Prakash Padukone deserves the highest civilian award.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's family declined the posthumous award.
Former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras announced that his Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) is no longer part of the BJP-led NDA, citing the alliance's support for his estranged nephew Chirag Paswan. Paras also accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of being "anti-Dalit" and demanded a Bharat Ratna for his late brother Ram Vilas Paswan, calling him the "second Ambedkar."
Amid clamour for Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar, the government has modified rules to pave way for eligibility of sportspersons for the highest civilian award of the country. The new rules, providing for eligibility of persons excelling in fields other than art, literature, science and public service for Bharat Ratna, were notified on November 16, Sports Minister Ajay Maken told the media in New Delhi.
Indian hockey skipper Rajpal Singh said on Monday that Major Dhyan Chand deserved to be the first sportsperson in the country to be bestowed with the Bharat Ratna.
JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari tells Rediff.com's Manu Shankar that hockey legend Dhyan Chand was more deserving of the Bharat Ratna than Sachin Tendulkar because he played without monetary gains and also suggested that the award be scrapped.
Reacting to the comments, Raut on Monday said the Shiv Sena has "never kept quiet on the issues relating to Savarkar and it will never do so". Without naming the BJP, Raut said the party should browse through history to know the Shiv Sena's stand on issues involving Savarkar.
The Union Home Ministry is looking into Sports Minister Ajay Maken's demand to include sports excellence as an area of recognition for the Bharat Ratna.
Dhyan Chand should have got Bharat Ratna first, says Milkha Singh.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday asked why India's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, has not been conferred on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Having achieved the unique distinction of scoring the first double century in One-day internationals, Sachin Tendulkar is now on the threshold of becoming the first sportsperson to be conferred the Bharat Ratna. The Maharashtra government is all set to recommend the batting maestro for India's highest civilian award.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar said it would have been a "disappointing and wrong decision" on the part of the government if the Home Ministry officials had their way in not awarding the India's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna to sportspersons.
World chess champion Viswanathan Anand on Thursday joined the growing list of top athletes supporting the demand that iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar be conferred the Bharat Ratna -- the highest civilian honour in India.
The clamour may have been for Sachin Tendulkar, but the Sports Ministry has recommended hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand for the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civillian honour.
Former national hockey player and Member of Parliament Dilip Tirkey on Sunday backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise for Major Dhyan Chand and said the hockey wizard should be given Bharat Ratna-country's highest civilian award.
The Sena, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and in Maharashtra, has since long been demanding the highest civilian award for Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who spent the prime of his life at the Cellular Jail in Andaman after being sentenced to life.
When Sachin Tendulkar bats, it's like an artist playing a 'raga' and the true legend of the game deserves the Bharat Ratna, legendary singer Asha Bhonsle said on Thursday.
Rediff.com has compiled a list of some renowned personalities in the fray for Bharat Ratna. You decide whether they deserve the honour or not.
'If we can award Madan Mohan Malaviya who died in 1946, then why not the Mahatma who died in 1948?' 'Why not go a little further back in time and give the award to Rabindranath Tagore who died in 1941?' 'And should we mark Lokmanya Tilak's 100th death anniversary in 2020 by giving him a Bharat Ratna,' asks Amberish K Diwanji.
Narasimha Rao's 'crime' was to end 'proprietary control' of Nehru-Gandhi family on the party, according to a new book.
Singhvi was speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry where the American ambassdor David Mulford, was presenting a more realistic picture of Indo-US relations.
Prem Bihari Narain Raizada wrote 145,000 words in flowing italic styles. It took him 6 months and hundreds of nibs.
Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said the BJP-led government needs to seriously think about the path it wants to take on the issue in the 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.
The award, which was announced after a gap of seven years, was presented to 87-year-old Joshi by an Additional Secretary of the Home Ministry.
All family members will be happy if former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gets the Bharat Ratna, his niece Karuna Shukla has said.
Cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar should not be honoured with the Bharat Ratna as the demand to give the award to filmstars and cricket players spoke of 'the low cultural level', Press Council of India Chairman Justice Markandey Katju said on Saturday.
Amid speculation that Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose may be named for the Bharat Ratna, a Congress leader on Sunday said Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram and Aligarh Muslim University founder Sir Syed Ahmed Khan should also be given the country's highest civilian award.
Legendary track and field sprinter Milkha Singh says hockey legend Dhyan Chand deserved the Bharat Ratna honour 'before anyone else', even as he proposed that cricket great Sachin Tendulkar be made the country's sports minister.
The only Indian to win an individual gold medal in Olympics, shooter Abhinav Bindra, has been recommended for the Bharat Ratna -- the country's highest civilian honour -- by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, on Thursday, said it will be a great honour if he receives the Bharat Ratna but made it clear that he would never lobby for the coveted award or suggest any names.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has said that master batsman Sachin Tendulkar should not play in the Indian Premier League if his name was under consideration for the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna and blamed the IPL for 'ruining' the sport.
The calls for bestowing Sachin Tendulkar with the Bharat Ratna may have got louder after India's World Cup triumph but giving the country's highest civillian honour to the batting icon would require tweaking of the criteria that has been laid down for the coveted award.
Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha member of Parliament Chandan Mitra has expressed his regret for having demanded that Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen be stripped of his Bharat Ratna.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj expressed disappointment over former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee not getting the Bharat Ratna this year, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party was expecting it. She also said the sanctity of these awards should be maintained as even some failures have been conferred with the honour.
'They have earned their money and their fame. They could have earned our respect by behaving in more public spirited fashion, but they have chosen instead to be unconcerned on that count,' says Aakar Patel.
The time has come to recommend Field Marshal Cariappa for the award of Bharat Ratna. If others can get it, I see no reason why he should not,' the army chief said.
BCCI president N Srinivasan paid rich tribute to Sachin Tendulkar, who brought down curtains on his 24-year illustrious career, saying the legendary cricketer is an "inspirational figure" and deserves to be conferred with the Bharat Ratna.
Amidst speculation that India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna may be conferred on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a majority of his family members on Sunday disapproved of the idea and instead demanded that the mystery of his disappearance be solved first.
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