Govt. announces Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee, Malviya
Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award.
"The President has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) and to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee," the government said in a press communique.
On choosing Vajpayee, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarch L K Advani said of all the Prime Ministers, the rule of Vajpayee was most blemish-free.
Born on December 25, 1924, Vajpayee is not only seen as a politician representing the BJP party, but also a statesman whose views were respected by his opposition leaders in politics.
He was the eleventh Prime Minister of India, first for 13 days in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004.
His birthday, 25 December, has been declared as Good Governance Day by government. He will turn 90 on the Christmas day.
The other posthumous recipient Pandit Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malaviya (1861–1946) was an educationist who played a big role in the Indian independence movement and was also known for his espousal of Hindu nationalism (being one of the initial leaders of the far-right party Hindu Mahasabha). Later in life, he was also addressed as 'Mahamana'.
He was the President of the Indian National Congress on two occasions (1909 & 1918) and had founded the iconic t Banaras Hindu University (BHU) at Varanasi in 1916.
He also had founded the English-newspaper, The Leader published from Allahabad in 1909.
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