Srinagar, Feb 03 (KNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that BJP veteran L K Advani will be conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
Modi praised Advani's monumental contribution to the nation's development, saying that his decades-long service marked by transparency and integrity.
The recognition is viewed as a tribute to Advani's instrumental role in shaping the BJP's core ideology. The announcement comes in the year of the Ram temple's consecration, symbolizing a triumphant closure for the BJP on an issue brought to prominence by Advani's 'Ram Rath Yatra' in 1990, which significantly boosted the party's standing against the Congress.
“One of the most respected statesmen of our times, his contribution to the development of India is monumental. His is a life that started from working at the grassroots to serving the nation as our Deputy Prime Minister,” Modi said on X.
The prime minister said the conferring of the Bharat Ratna on Advani is a very “emotional moment for me”. “Advani Ji’s decades-long service in public life has been marked by an unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity, setting an exemplary standard in political ethics. He has made unparalleled efforts towards furthering national unity and cultural resurgence,” he said.
“The conferring of the Bharat Ratna on him is a very emotional moment for me. I will always consider it my privilege that I got countless opportunities to interact with him and learn from him,” he said.(KNS).