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The Union government Saturday announced the Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, a day before Republic Day. Among those given the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award, for public affairs are the late Manohar Joshi and Sushil Kumar Modi while Narayan, popularly known as Bhulai Bhai, one of the oldest BJP workers and former two-time MLA who passed away last year was posthumously given the Padma Shri. The Padma Shri for public affairs also went to Manda Krishna Madiga, a Dalit leader from Telangana.
While most of those who received the award for public affairs are or were politicians or linked to politics in some way or the other, two of those who have received the awards in this category are former Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar, senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan,
Manohar Joshi
Joshi was the first Maharashtra Chief Minister to lead a non-Congress government and even served as a Lok Sabha Speaker. He passed away on February 23, 2024, at the age of 86.
Joshi who was from a village in Raigad came to Mumbai, then Bombay, in his youth to pursue his studies and a career and got pulled into politics after being mesmerised by the “son-of-the-soil” politics of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray who was his mentor. He first contested the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls and served as a corporator from 1968 to 1972. Four years later, he entered the Legislative Council where he remained till 1989 and in between, from 1976 to 1977, also served as the Mayor of Mumbai. In 1990, Joshi contested the Assembly elections and was elected from Dadar, a constituency he represented till 1999. Dadar was important to the Sena given that it is Marathi-dominated and the party’s headquarters is there.
Joshi, who along with Thackeray was accused of inciting violence against Muslims through their speeches during the 1992-’93 Bombay riots, became the CM of the Shiv Sena-BJP government on March 14, 1995. His chief ministerial tenure was curtailed early just months before the Lok Sabha elections in January 1999. He bowed out without any protest, making way for his successor Narayan Rane in January 1999.
He was fielded from the Mumbai North Central constituency in the Lok Sabha polls. He won and moved to Delhi, serving as the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise from October 1999 to May 2002 in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. After G M C Balayogi of the Telugu Desam Party died in a helicopter crash, he was chosen as his successor. His ability to run the House earned him a lot of praise from the members and played a role in shifting the popular perception of the Shiv Sena to a certain extent. His last stint in national politics started in 2006 when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha and he served out his full tenure.
The former Bihar Deputy CM, who died on May 13, 2024, was viewed as one of the architects of the BJP’s rise in the state. One of the three famous products of the J P Movement along with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Sushil Kumar Modi was considered the tallest BJP leader in Bihar after Kailashpati Mishra.
From ABVP background, Sushil Modi became MLA for the first time in 1990. After Yashwant Sinha resigned as Leader of Opposition in 1996, he took charge and single-handedly took on the RJD – he was one of five petitioners in the fodder scam in which Lalu Prasad was convicted. After the fodder scam, the BJP unearthed 17 cases of irregularities against the Rabri Devi government.
Sushil Modi is often credited with transforming the BJP into a formidable force in the state in the 1990s, with it emerging as the principal Opposition party in 1995. He was instrumental in building strong ties with NDA ally and JD(U) chief Nitish, who would often give him credit for bringing about the state’s economic turnaround.
Manda Krishna Madiga
Manda Krishna Madiga is the leader of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) and was a vocal supporter of the sub-classification of Dalits for decades. During the Telangana Assembly polls in 2023, amid a BJP outreach to Dalits, Madiga shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally, where he was photographed in tears and being consoled by the PM. The photo subsequently went viral online.
Madigas are the largest of the 59 SC sub-castes in Telangana followed by the Malas After the Supreme Court last year allowed the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in reservation, allowing wider protection for underrepresented groups, Madiga told The Indian Express in an interview “The movement, which started in 1994, has come to a conclusion after 30 long years. The judgment has brought us much happiness. … The agitation saw many ups and downs, and efforts were made to derail it several times. We suffered a lot during the process. But we got the support of people from across the spectrum. We are happy about that.”
Narayan ji (Bhulai Bhai)
The former Jana Sangh MLA from UP was the BJP’s oldest worker at the time of his death last October. At the time, he was 100 years old. Following his death, PM Narendra Modi posted on X, “The demise of Narayan ji, who made an invaluable contribution to politics and social service, is an irreparable loss. He has been among the oldest and hardworking workers of BJP, whom we also know as Bhulai Bhai. His works related to public welfare will always be remembered. In this hour of grief, I express my condolences to his admirers and family members. Om Shanti!”
