'Padma Vibhushan not Enough': SP Leader Swami Prasad Maurya Demands Bharat Ratna for Mulayam Singh Yadav

Bharat Ratna For Mulayam? Late SP founder was posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest civilian honour, on Wednesday. However, this did not please a section of Samajwadi Party leaders.

Lucknow: Senior Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has slammed the Centre for making a “mockery of late party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's stature and his contributions to the nation by conferring the Padma Vibhushan on him.” The SP MLA has also said the veteran Socialist leader should have been honoured with the country’s highest civilian award - 'Bharat Ratna'. It may be recalled that the late SP founder was posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian honour, on Wednesday. However, this did not please a section of Samajwadi Party leaders. 

Maurya took to Twitter to voice his displeasure over the issue. "By giving Padma Vibhushan posthumously to Netaji Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Government of India has made a mockery of Netaji's stature, work and contributions to the nation. If Netaji had to be respected then he should have been honoured with Bharat Ratna," Maurya said in a tweet in Hindi.

भारत सरकार ने नेताजी श्री मुलायम सिंह यादव को मरणोपरांत पद्म विभूषण पुरस्कार देकर, नेताजी के व्यक्तित्व, कृतित्व एवं राष्ट्र के प्रति किये गये योगदान का उपहास उड़ाया है। यदि नेताजी को सम्मान देना ही था तो भारत रत्न के सम्मान से सम्मानित करना चाहिए था।

— Swami Prasad Maurya (@SwamiPMaurya) January 26, 2023

Commenting on the issue, Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law and the SP's Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav said, "I feel that 'Netaji' (as Yadav was fondly referred to as) should have been honoured earlier. It will be our demand from the government to confer the Bharat Ratna on 'Netaji'."

SP spokesperson I P Singh said the former defence minister should be honoured with the Bharat Ratna as soon as possible. "Except for the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour, no other honour befits the son of the soil late Mulayam Singh Yadav. An announcement should be made to give the Bharat Ratna to our respected Netaji without any delay," Singh tweeted.

SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, the three-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister, died on October 10 last year. Mulayam’s younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav told reporters in Etawah that his brother Mulayam Singh Yadav got the award for his work. He raised the voice for the poor, labourers, youth, students, lawyers, and unemployed and worked for every section of society and took historic decisions in favour of army personnel when he was defence minister, Shivpal Singh Yadav said.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya welcomed Mulayam Singh Yadav being honoured with the Padma Vibhushan. "He had a big stature. He was active in social and political life for a long time in UP and also led the state. I welcome the decision of the government to confer him Padma Vibhushan," he said.