Zee Media Bureau/Hemant Abhishek
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s demand for a Bharat Ratna for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has found a voice of support in their erstwhile ally, Janata Dal (United).
Seconding BJP’s motion, JD(U)’s Vashisht Narayan Singh said, “Vajpayee contributed a lot to Indian politics, so if someone supports that I am with them.”
Earlier, addressing a rally in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad had questioned why the former PM was not considered for the Bharat Ratna award.
Reiterating that the Bharat Ratna would be conferred on Vajpayee once NDA came to power in 2014, Prasad asked, "I respect Sachin Tendulkar, but why hasn`t Vajpayee ji been awarded Bharat Ratna?”
Before him, BJP MP and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha too had written to PM demanding the award to be conferred on Vajpayee this Republic Day given the “unique contribution” made by Vajpayee to public life and his role in the development of the country.
