NEW DELHI: The slain Rajiv Gandhi has been awarded India’s highest civilian honor the Bharat Ratna posthumously according to a Presidential Palace communique.
President Ramaswamy Venkataraman also conferred the Bharat Ratna award on Sardar Valla Bhai Patel the country’s first deputy prime minister.
Patel known as the “Iron man of India” was instrumental in the ‘Systematic betrayal of the Sikhs. He was responsible for circulating the letter in government offices which said the Sikhs were “a criminal tribe”.
This move has surprised political circles who believe that the decision has the twin objective of pleasing the congress and the BJP the two leading parties in the election. It has also raised the question of propriety they feel the govt taking such an important decision after the election results have come in and the SJP has been rejected by the electorate What is more surprising is the President’s decision to clear the proposal coming from a totally “illegitimate govt . More so when the president’s office has prohibited the caretaker govt from taking important decisions. It is noteworthy that the President refused to honor the late Dr Ambedkar recently as also Dr Ram Manohar Lohia.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 21, 1991
