 "Atal Bihari Vajpayee")
After the UPA government conferred the Bharat Ratna on Sachin Tendulkar, (also a Rajya Sabha member), its not just the Opposition BJP alone, that is demanding the nation's highest civilian honour for former Prime Minister and BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee, UPA ministers too have joined the chorus.
Union Cabinet minister Farooque Abdullah, today publicly stated,"I am not from the BJP, but an Indian and no one can forget Vajpayee-ji was a great leader. I request the government to finally give Bharat Ratna to him." Abdullah is UPA ally, National Conference's supremo.
Abdullah was not alone in his demand. Another Cabinet colleague HRD minister Pallam Raju, (a Congressman) said, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been a great statesman and if the country decides, he should get Bharat Ratna."
The Opposition BJP while congratulating the bestowing of the award on Tendulkar had questioned why the elder BJP statesman had been left out.
"I am raising the issue of not considering former PM for the Bharat Ratna," said BJP deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Ravishankar Prasad.
Meanwhile former NDA ally JDU was also vocal in its support for Vajpayee. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar questioned in Patna why Vajpayee had been overlooked. His party colleague Shivanand Tewari demanded to know why hockey great Dhyanchand had been left out despite repeated demands that he be awarded.
The UPA it appears will have a tough time dealing with not just the BJP but its own ministers as well.
