New Delhi: Behind the Centre’s determination to bestow the Bharat Ratna to former prime ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh and outstanding scientist M. S. Swaminathan is a seemingly well-thought technique of the Modi authorities in an election 12 months.
Although Rao was a towering Congress chief who ushered in financial liberalisation of India in 1991, the drastic fall in his ties with the Gandhi household has typically been a subject taken up by the BJP and different events to slam the nation’s oldest social gathering.
It’s a coup-like state of affairs on the Congress, as PM Narendra Modi himself typically talked about that how the Gandhi household has not given respect to nationwide icons Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and Pranab Mukherjee amongst others.
Equally, Charan Singh was the primary non-Congress chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and, extra importantly, an enormous chief from the influential Jat group. Singh needed to resign from the prime minister’s chair after simply 23 days in energy in August 1979, because the Congress withdrew assist to his authorities.
Swaminathan, the daddy of India’s Inexperienced revolution, hailed from Tamil Nadu, a state the place the BJP is more and more making an attempt to make inroads.
Quickly after the choice was introduced, Charan Singh’s grandson and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary gave a thumbs as much as the Modi authorities with a one-liner in Hindi:‘Dil Jeet Liya (Won the heart)’
दिल जीत लिया! #BharatRatna https://t.co/Ns0CraJ7yI
— Jayant Singh (@jayantrld) February 9, 2024
One of many calls for of the RLD for an alliance with the BJP-led Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA) was the nation’s topmost civilian award to the previous prime minister, ThePrint has learnt.
The discuss is that the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), too, converted to the NDA camp after the Centre introduced Bharat Ratna to former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur.
“Charan Singh is not only a significant Jat leader in Uttar Pradesh but his influence is far and wide. Jats have a good presence in Haryana and Rajasthan as well. Don’t forget he was the first non-Congress (UP) chief minister and fought against the Congress during Emergency,” a BJP functionary informed ThePrint.
He then went on to say how the sexual harassment of ladies wrestlers and farm agitation have hit the shares of the BJP among the many Jats, notably in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
“The conferring of the Bharat Ratna to Charan Singh is an award to the farming community… It has a huge political significance. He is an icon among a section in north India who led the fight against the Congress.”
“At a time when there is bickering among INDIA bloc allies, the BJP has balanced social justice politics with farming community sentiments of people (by honouring Thakur and Charan Singh). Both leaders fought against the Congress,” the BJP functionary added.
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South foray in ballot 12 months
As for Rao, the Congress veteran had served because the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh from 1962 to 1973. His birthplace now falls close to Karimnagar in Telangana, a state the place the Congress got here to energy in December final 12 months.
The BJP can be seeking to develop its base in Telangana the place the Congress is now on a resurgence, other than exploiting the episode through which the social gathering management is alleged to have ensured that Rao’s final rites had been held in Hyderabad.
Rao’s grandson N.V. Subhash Rao praised PM Modi for conferring the Bharat Ratna to the previous prime minister.
“PM Modi has conferred P.V. Narasimha Rao though he belongs to the Congress party. Now, I blame the UPA government, especially the Gandhi family, which did not confer any award to him when the UPA was ruling from 2004 to 2014,” Subhash Rao informed the media.
“The Gandhi family was instrumental in making Narasimha Rao a scapegoat for the failures of the Congress party…It’s a pride, an honour for us that at this point of time, at this crucial juncture where Narendra Modi has become the national leader and as the leader of the whole world, he has been constantly recognising (leaders). I thank the BJP Telangana also for making this a grand success and the dream come true…,” he added.
PM Modi himself tweeted about Rao and talked about his function because the chief minister and the prime minister.
Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, Shri PV Narasimha Rao Garu, shall be honoured with the Bharat Ratna.
As a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao Garu served India extensively in varied capacities. He’s equally remembered for the work he did as… pic.twitter.com/lihdk2BzDU
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 9, 2024
Equally, he extolled the contributions of Charan Singh and Swaminathan in the direction of the progress of the nation.
In the meantime, the BJP is alleged to be sending a message not simply to the agrarian group but in addition to the state of Tamil Nadu the place the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) got here out of the NDA fold in September.
“Swaminathan’s green revolution has benefited agriculture from Punjab to Tamil Nadu. Similarly, Rao rose to become the prime minister from south India. The party has empowered those icons who were not recognised during their time by the Congress,” one other BJP chief stated.
Social observers asserted that the BJP has struck a nice steadiness with the newest bulletins of the Bharat Ratna.
“By choosing the social justice constituency (Thakur) and Hindutva (L.K.Advani), the BJP balanced Hindutva with social justice politics. It has now tried to balance the agrarian community by conferring the award to Charan Singh and Swaminathan. The BJP has balanced north, south, Hindutva, social justice politics in one stroke,” famous social scientist Prof. Badri Narayan informed ThePrint.
“Appropriating Rao is a clever strategy to get a foothold in South India, particularly Telangana where the Congress has made government. It’s a known fact that the Congress first family has not maintained cordial relationship with Rao,” one other social scientist Prof. Nadeem Rizvi informed ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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