 "Was Congress in a tearing hurry to award Sachin the Bharat Ratna?")
As the nation is obsessed with who will make it to the Lal Qila (Red Fort) next August 15, the politics over Bharat Ratna — the highest civilian honour in India — has put the beleaguered United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in a fix. At present, the Congress party wants that Sachin Tendulkar should send signals, direct or indirect, to the voters ahead of the 2014 election to support the party. Till the other day, the Bharat Ratna could only be conferred on an exceptional achiever from the field of art, literature, science and public services. Now, that has changed, thanks mainly to the efforts of Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken.
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The rules governing eligibility for the highest civilian award were modified two years ago apparently to keep the doors open for the cricket maestro to receive the honour on his retirement. There is one school of thought that argues that the master blaster has already been awarded the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, which is the highest honour that can be given to a sportsman in the country. Therefore, there was no need to expand the terms of reference of the Bharat Ratna to accommodate the cricketer.
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Last week, Tendulkar joined the galaxy of 41 eminent personalities who have been honoured in ‘recognition of exceptional service or performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour.’ The moot question is: has the government devalued the prestige of the Bharat Ratna by taking into consideration public sentiment in relaxing the guidelines for the award? Has the government been forced to take recourse to such a populist step under pressure? Only time will tell if the Centre showed haste in awarding Bharat Ratna to the Little Master.
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On 19 July, the sports ministry recommended hockey legend late Dhyan Chand over Tendulkar for the Bharat Ratna. The ministry had to name only one sportsperson for the Bharat Ratna to the Prime Minister's Office and for them Dhyan Chand, who passed away in 1979, was the right choice. The wizard of Indian hockey had won three gold medals at the Olympics — in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Despite recommendation by the sports ministry of Dhyan Chand’s name for the award, the government finally decided to confer Bharat Ratna only on Tendulkar. Why?
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Analysts are of the view that in the case of Tendulkar there seems to have been a great deal of hurry and urgency. And the needle of suspicion points towards the crudest forms of political calculations. The ruling party made an effort to cash in on the mass hysteria that gripped the nation following Tendulkar’s retirement. The prospects are that the Bharat Ratna to a young and iconic cricketer will strike a chord among young voters.
According to media reports, the matter had been discussed informally at the highest level, and that both UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had seemed excited about ‘the timing’, keeping in mind the hoopla over the cricketer’s exit. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh concurred, and it was decided barely a few days ago that the award would be conferred on Tendulkar the moment the curtain came down formally on his international career.
Observers point out that the real issue lies in a system that is fundamentally flawed. In India, successive governments’ choices for awards such as the Bharat Ratna have generated needless controversies. The choice of Lata Mangeshkar or the late Ustad Bismillah Khan for the honour was at best contentious.
. How is the Bharat Ratna awarded?
. How is the Bharat Ratna awarded?
It was instituted in 1954, the award recognises “exceptional service/ performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour”, irrespective of race, occupation, position or gender.
Awarded by the President on a recommendation from the Prime Minister, the recipients get a certificate but no monetary prize and cannot add the award as a prefix or suffix to their name.
. How decks were cleared for Tendulkar
April 16, 2011: Sports minister Ajay Maken writes to home minister P. Chidambaram to make sportspersons eligible for the Bharat Ratna
July 2011: Chidambaram forwards note to Prime Minister’s Office, which clears the proposal
November 2011: Rules amended to make the award available for those excelling in fields outside art, literature, science and public service
2013: PMO and home ministry receive proposals to nominate Sachin for the award
16 November 2013: Prime Minister recommends Tendulkar's name to President