Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 3 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday extended congratulations to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart Lal Krishna Advani on announcement to be conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour.
They also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conferring Bharat Ratna to former Union Minister Advani.
“Atal-Advani (former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and senior BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee) built a place for themselves in the BJP since the days of Jana Sangh…I would like to congratulate Lal Krishna Advani for the Bharat Ratna. I also express gratitude to PM Modi as this is a matter of extreme pride and joy for us. I would like to congratulate him (Advani) again on behalf of the Madhya Pradesh government,” CM Yadav told ANI.
Meanwhile extending congratulation to Advani, former CM Chouhan expressed joy and said that they learnt a lot from LK Advani.
“I am filled with joy today. Lal Krishna Advani, every moment of whose life has been spent in service of Bharat Mata and who made unparalleled contribution towards taking BJP to this position. He made immense contributions towards every section of society. Today, he has been awarded with the Bharat Ratna. This is a welcome decision. I thank PM Modi for this. We have learnt a lot from LK Advani,” Chouhan told ANI.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi announced that LK Advani will be conferred the country’s highest civilian honour.
“I am very happy to share that Shri LK Advani Ji will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. I also spoke to him and congratulated him on being conferred this honour. 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. He distinguished himself as our Home Minister and I&B Minister as well. His Parliamentary interventions have always been exemplary, full of rich insights,” PM posted on X.
Born in Karachi, in present-day Pakistan, on November 8, 1927, Advani through the years had served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the longest period since its inception in 1980. Capping a parliamentary career of nearly three decades, he was, first, the Home Minister and, later, the Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999-2004).
Advani is widely regarded as an individual of great intellectual ability, strong principles, and unwavering support for the idea of a strong and prosperous India. As confirmed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani has ‘never compromised on his core belief in nationalism, and yet has displayed flexibility in political responses whenever it was demanded by the situation’.
The veteran leader’s celebration of India’s independence from the British in 1947 was sadly short lived as he became one of the millions to be torn from his homeland amidst the terror and bloodshed of the tragedy of India’s partition. These events, however, did not turn him bitter or cynical but instead spurred him on in his desire to create a more secular India. With this goal in mind he journeyed to Rajasthan to continue his work as an RSS Pracharak.
Through the latter half of the 1980s and the 1990s, LK Advani focused on the singular task of building the BJP into a national political force. The results of his efforts were underscored by the 1989 General Election. The Party bounced back from its 1984 tally of 2 to achieve an impressive 86 seats. The Party position moved up to 121 seats in 1992 and 161 in 1996; making the 1996 elections a watershed in Indian democracy. For the first time since independence, the Congress was dethroned from its preeminent position, and the BJP became the single largest party in the Lok Sabha. (ANI)
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