New Delhi: Hailing the announcement of country’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, to BJP patriarch and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saffron party veteran L.K. Advani on Wednesday said Mr Vajpayee is the only former Prime Minister whose term was “without any blemish”.
Mr Advani, who shared over five decades of close relationship with Mr Vajpayee, became emotional while reacting to the announcement of Mr Vajpayee being awarded with the Bharat Ratna. He also lauded the conferment of the highest civilian award on educationist Madan Mohan Malviya posthumously. Both Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani are the founding members of the BJP and are given credit for bringing the saffron party at the national centre stage.
Read: Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Madan Mohan Malviya are Bharat Ratnas
Describing Mr Vajpayee as an “outstanding patriot”, Mr Advani also regretted that the former UPA government had not honoured the former PM with the highest civilian award as he recalled that he had written to the then PM Manmohan Singh in this regard in 2008. Mr Vajpayee has lately faded away from active public life due to illness.
Read: All Parties unite to laud Bharat Ratna awardees
“If I was to think of all persons who had been PM and draw up a balance sheet of their achievements and shortcomings, I would think that Vajpayee was the only one with a longish tenure whose entire term was without any blemish and shortcomings,” Mr Advani said.
