Belittling the Bharat Ratna conferred on former President Pranab Mukherjee, Janata Dal (Secular) leader Danish Ali has alleged that the former President is awarded the Bharat Ratna because he had visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and had praised RSS ideologue K B Hedgewar. “Pranab Mukherjee is being awarded the Bharat Ratna because he visited the RSS headquarters and described the founding Sarsanghchalak chief, K B Hedgewar, as ‘the son of the soil’,” Ali said.
Danish Ali, JD(S): It’s very unfortunate. Biju Patnaik ji & Kanshi Ram ji should have been conferred Bharat Ratna before Pranab Mukherjee. He has been awarded just because he went to RSS HQs. He & PM have common big industrialist friends, perhaps it also played a role. (25-1-19) pic.twitter.com/my9cOXFY74
— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2019
Ali went to the extent of saying that there were more deserving candidates than the former President in the field of politics like Biju Patnaik and Kanshi Ram who worked for the masses. Ali demanded that Sri Sri Shivakumara Swami, the Swani of Siddaganga mutt who recently passed away, should be conferred with Bharat Ratna. “We protest this as Sri Sri Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga has not been conferred the award. Swamiji was a legend and had worked towards the social welfare of people all his life,” he added.
He threatened the BJP that the party would be taught a lesson by the people of Karnataka for not conferring the award on Shivakumara Swami.
Yesterday the government of India had announced that the Bharat Ratna will be conferred on Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika and Pranab Mukherjee.
