Bharat Ratna — highest civilian award of the country — has recently garnered the limelight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing five awardees. Out of which only Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani is not receiving the award posthumously. All the other four — Bihar icon Karpoori Thakur, Former prime ministers Chaudhary Charan Singh, PV Narasimha Rao, and MS Swaminathan, who ushered in the Green Revolution of 1960s — have contributed to the well-being of the country, but alas, did not feature in the category while they were alive. Regretfully, the nation lost Swaminathan only last year.
While the idea behind honouring our country’s known statesmen is welcome. The personalities and timing chosen for the honour has created a room for speculation. At a time when the farmer’s protest has gained momentum, presentation of Bharat Ratna to Swaminathan, who is known for his dedication to the agrarian sector of the society, appears to be a calculative move of the BJP government to few. Some believe the saffron clan is trying to woo the farmers, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Notably, the Central government has merely rolled out MSP (minimum support price) for the farmers and their produce were, reportedly, never procured at those rates. The move might indicate the government's agenda to shift the focus from the primary issue of meeting the demands of the farmers.
In a similar vein, Singh, too, dedicated his life to the welfare of farmers. However, by adding his name to the list of awardees this year specifically — the world lost him in 1987 — the BJP is making some question the timing of the development. Among a few quarters, it is appearing that the BJP is not only trying to woo farmers but also eyeing a possible seat-sharing agreement with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh. RLD was formed by Singh’s son and is now being led by his grandson Jayant Chowdhury. Moreover, Jayant’s tweet after PM’s post kinda cemented the news of seat sharing.
A Congress stalwart PV Narsimha Rao, too, has been awarded posthumously and the move is making political analysts suspect it to be the road to the South for the BJP. Rao hails from undivided Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, a day before, PM Modi called out the Congress for disrespecting Rao.
While the timing of conferring Bharat Ratna might appear undisputable to some, but has space for apprehension. The naysayers might say that the BJP-led government at the Centre has tried to clean its image, ahead of the parliamentary elections. In an attempt to pave the way to return to power in 2024, the names of the awardees and the timing can prove to be a crucial step.
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