Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani backed former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's name for the Bharat Ratna calling him a true patriot.
In an intervew to CNN-IBN he said, "A Bharat Ratna for Atal Bihari Vajpayee should not be seen in terms of a reward for doing his duty but as an award that recognises his stature. It would be very appropriate and befitting for a patriot like Vajpayee."
Here is an excerpt from the interview:
CNN-IBN: You were the first to demand Bharat Ratna for Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Do you think that the time has come for the new government to acknowledge those contribution?
LK Advani: I regarded it significant that the new government has decided to observe December 25, Vajpayeeji's birthday as a Good Governance day. Though from the point of view of Bharat Ratna, I don't think Bharat Ratna is appropriate as a reward or something that Vajpayee has contributed to the country. Whatever he has done, he has been doing his duty both as a patriot as well as the person assigned for the responsibility of becoming the PM of the country. He has been doing his duty and I do not think in terms of Bharat Ratna being a reward for performing one's duty. Though if he is given Bharat Ratna, as I have myself suggested once, it would be very appropriate and befitting for a patriot like Vajpayee.
CNN-IBN: Why do you think Congress chose to be non-committed whenever the question of Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee came up. Do you think it was only because they were wary of honouring their political opponent?
LK Advani: I wound not attribute it to that. It is for them to think who should be given Bharat Ratna or not. Someone who has not even been in politics could be given a Bharat Ratna. I would not object to that also. That is something which should not be related to what a person is in public life and what role he has performed etc. It should be related to person's general characteristics and his general stature.
CNN-IBN: One of the reasons you have also cited while building a case for Vajpayee that he was the first PM to have led a stable and coalition government that completed its full tenure. Now you are seeing Narendra Modi who is leading the full majority government, do you think that era of coalition politics or coalition government is over in India?
LK Advani: I would not say that. I still believe that a country as diverse and variegated as India may throw another coalition government again. It's not very common to have a government of a kind which is single party as was there in the earlier years of independence or even Vajpayee's own government. For some time it was virtually not a coalition government. It can be anything. In case a country like India you should be prepared for all eventualities.
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