THE Union Government’s decision to honour BJP veteran L K Advani with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, Saturday received mixed response from the Opposition, with some leaders welcoming the gesture and praising the former Deputy Prime Minister and some taking potshots at the ruling party. The Congress referred to the relationship between Advani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a dig at the latter. “In 2002, Advani saved Narendra Modi. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had reminded the then Gujarat Chief Minister (Modi) of his raj dharma (in the wake of the post-Godhra riots). He wanted to remove him from the post in Goa (at a BJP meeting). The person who saved that Chief Minister was Advani,” Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said at a press conference in Deoghar, Jharkhand. “Fast forward to 2014. On April 5 in Gandhinagar… Modi was there. Advani was going to file his nomination papers for the elections… Advani made a very famous remark then. which would be written in golden letters. He said Modi was not his protege but a brilliant event manager. We didn’t say it. It was Advani who said that. When I see Advani and Modi, these two things come to mind,” Ramesh said. He said Advani had in 2014 shown the real face of the Prime Minister to the people of the country. Sitting next to Ramesh, AICC in-charge of Jharkhand Ghulam Ahmed Mir said the decision to award Bharat Ratna to Advani was “too late”. Ramesh’s party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla welcomed the decision. “Happy to know that Shri Lal Krishna Advaniji will be conferred with Bharat Ratna. He has made immense contributions to public service. An outstanding Parliamentarian, he is respected across party lines. Heartiest Congratulations to him for the honour,” he posted on X. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said, “Congratulations to BJP's 'PM-in-waiting' L K Advani Ji on being conferred with Bharat Ratna.” While the Congress resorted to a tongue-in-cheek recollection, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the decision to award Bharat Ratna to Advani. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on the other hand, took a dig at the BJP, saying the award was aimed at consolidating the party's votes in the Lok Sabha elections. “The BJP has given the honour before its tenure (at the Centre) comes to an end so that its votes do not get scattered. This Bharat Ratna is being given to consolidate their own votes, it is not being given in respect,” he said while speaking to reporters. Expressing happiness over the Centre's decision, Pawar said Advani has contributed significantly towards the development of the nation. He underlined that he and Advani subscribe to different political ideologies, but noted that the BJP leader was a good Parliamentarian and an Union minister. Kejriwal also congratulated Advani and prayed for his healthy and long life. RJD leader Manoj Jha, too, referred to Advani’s role in the Ram temple movement. “He has had a long administrative experience. He has held many posts. But there is another side too. The country had to spend a lot of its energy over the last 40 years on one contentious issue - the Mandir-Masjid issue - and he started it all,” he told ANI. Jha also demanded Bharat Ratna for socialist icon Ram Manohar Lohia.
