Govt non-committal on Bharat Ratna for Manekshaw

Defence Minister A K Antony was said the Government was aware of the sentiments the country has for the iconic Field Marshal.

Defence Minister A K Antony was on Tuesday non-committal on conferring Bharat Ratna to Sam Manekshaw but said the Government was aware of the sentiments the country has for the iconic Field Marshal.

“We know the sentiments around the Field Marshal and everyone respects his achievements. We know that,” Antony told reporters in Delhi on the sidelines of a memorial function for Manekshaw.

The Defence Minister was responding to a query as to whether the Government would confer the country’s highest civilian award to the Field Marshal, who passed away on June 27 at the age of 94 years.

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Antony and the three service chiefs had not attended the funeral of Maneshaw which drew widespread criticism.

Earlier addressing the function, Gen (Retd) Deependra Singh said an “upright and brave personality” like Manekshaw deserved the highest civilian award.

Antony described the late Field Marshal as the “greatest soldier” who led the Army during a “very crucial and critical” period of history in many respect, including the circumstances which led to the formation of Bangladesh.

The Minister noted that Manekshaw was a “tremendous” leader who was a motivation for the soldiers and was never “bothered” by the presence of “mighty powers” during the Indo-Pak war.

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The Field Marshal was a “superb military strategist”, which was evident from the way he led the Army to thwart the designs of the enemy during the 1971 war.

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