PM Modi, while announcing the honor for the veteran, said LK Advani’s role in the development of India is monumental.
Monitoring Desk
New Delhi
Lal Krishna Advani, the BJP stalwart who catapulted the party into national reckoning with his Rath Yatra for Ayodhya’s Ram Temple in the early 1990s, has been conferred with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
“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 honor,” PM Narendra Modi wrote on X.
PM Modi, while announcing the honor for the veteran, said LK Advani’s role in the development of India is monumental. He called him one of the most respected statesmen of India.
“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,” he said.
“Advani Ji’s decades-long service in public life has been marked by an unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity, setting an exemplary standard in political ethics. He has made unparalleled efforts towards furthering national unity and cultural resurgence. The conferring of the Bharat Ratna on him is a very emotional moment for me. I will always consider it my privilege that I got countless opportunities to interact with him and learn from him,” he added.
Born in Karachi, Sindh LK Advani migrated to India after the Partition. He settled down in Bombay. He had joined the RSS in 1941 at the age of fourteen.
In 1951, he became a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was founded by BJP icon Syama Prasad Mookerjee. The Jana Sangh was the political precursor to the BJP.
Advani became the member of the Rajya Sabha for the first time in 1970. He served four RS terms till 1989.
He first became the minister for information and broadcasting and leader of the house in Rajya Sabha in 1977, following the Janata Party’s victory in the general elections.
He is one of the founding members of the BJP. He served as the president of the party three times.
In 1989, he became a Lok Sabha member for the first time.
When the Atal Bihari Vajpayee formed a government in 1999, Advani served as the minister of home affairs and the deputy prime minister.
In 2015, LK Advani was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honor.
In 1990, LK Advani embarked on Ram Rath Yatra over the BJP’s demand for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The procession began from Somnath in Gujarat and reached Ayodhya. His Rath Yatra received popular support. In the 1991 general elections, from a minor played in the national politics, the BJP became the second largest party in the parliament after the Congress.
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