01-15-2008, 09:00 AM
<b>Is the Bharat Ratna coming to Karunanidhi?</b>
RC Rajamani and Hemendra Narayan
NEW DELHI, Jan. 14: The Bharat Ratna 'race' picked up greater momentum today with the names of former UP chief minister, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, and former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur being mooted for the nation's highest civilian honour.
After the demand by BJP and BSP for Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Mr AB Vajpayee and Kanshi Ram respectively, the Assam unit of the Samajwadi Party today said the award should be conferred on party leader Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Joining the intense political lobbying, the RJD today asked the Centre to bestow posthumously the honour on Karpoori Thakur.
Thakur, popularly known as 'jan nayak' or people's leader, was one of the socialist leaders close to Jayaprakash Narayan who spearheaded the movement for 'total revolution' as well as protests against the Emergency.
Meanwhile, LJP chief and union minister Mr Ram Vilas Paswan demanded conferring of the award on 19th century social reformer Jyotibha Phule, Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram and singer Mohammed Rafi, all posthumously. Mr Paswan said it was better to confer the award posthumously because then proper judgement could be made on the achievements of the person concerned. Mr Paswan said that if the award was to be conferred on a political person then his first choice was Babu Jagjivan Ram. . As for Mahatma Phule, Mr Paswan said he did a lot for uplifting the destitute and downtrodden, and worked tirelessly for educating the women. Mohammad Rafi is his idea for a person from the arts. In 2001 Lata Mangeshkar was conferred the award, and now the award should go to Rafi for his contribution as a playback singer was equivalent to that of Lata.
The campaign for Bharat Ratna began with the BJP's Mr LK Advani writing to the Prime Minister, strongly suggesting the 84-year-old former PM, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for the honour. Mr Jyoti Basu's name was suggested and shot down with equal speed over the weekend. The other contenders are BSP founder Kanshi Ram and Mr M Karunanidhi, the 84-year old DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu chief minister.
In the current confusion and lack of unanimity, Mr Karunanidhi may emerge as the ultimate winner, according to political circles.
http://thestatesman.org/page.news.php?clid...ess=1&id=185773
RC Rajamani and Hemendra Narayan
NEW DELHI, Jan. 14: The Bharat Ratna 'race' picked up greater momentum today with the names of former UP chief minister, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, and former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur being mooted for the nation's highest civilian honour.
After the demand by BJP and BSP for Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Mr AB Vajpayee and Kanshi Ram respectively, the Assam unit of the Samajwadi Party today said the award should be conferred on party leader Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Joining the intense political lobbying, the RJD today asked the Centre to bestow posthumously the honour on Karpoori Thakur.
Thakur, popularly known as 'jan nayak' or people's leader, was one of the socialist leaders close to Jayaprakash Narayan who spearheaded the movement for 'total revolution' as well as protests against the Emergency.
Meanwhile, LJP chief and union minister Mr Ram Vilas Paswan demanded conferring of the award on 19th century social reformer Jyotibha Phule, Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram and singer Mohammed Rafi, all posthumously. Mr Paswan said it was better to confer the award posthumously because then proper judgement could be made on the achievements of the person concerned. Mr Paswan said that if the award was to be conferred on a political person then his first choice was Babu Jagjivan Ram. . As for Mahatma Phule, Mr Paswan said he did a lot for uplifting the destitute and downtrodden, and worked tirelessly for educating the women. Mohammad Rafi is his idea for a person from the arts. In 2001 Lata Mangeshkar was conferred the award, and now the award should go to Rafi for his contribution as a playback singer was equivalent to that of Lata.
The campaign for Bharat Ratna began with the BJP's Mr LK Advani writing to the Prime Minister, strongly suggesting the 84-year-old former PM, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for the honour. Mr Jyoti Basu's name was suggested and shot down with equal speed over the weekend. The other contenders are BSP founder Kanshi Ram and Mr M Karunanidhi, the 84-year old DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu chief minister.
In the current confusion and lack of unanimity, Mr Karunanidhi may emerge as the ultimate winner, according to political circles.
http://thestatesman.org/page.news.php?clid...ess=1&id=185773