New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday conferred the Bharat Ratna award upon 96-year-old former Deputy Prime Minister, Lal Krishna Advani, at the latter's residence in Delhi.
With the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, the nation's highest civilian award was given to the BJP stalwart.
Earlier in February, the Prime Minister took to his social media and announced that the former BJP leader would be conferred the Bharat Ratna. The post read, "I am very happy to share that Shri LK Advani Ji will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. I also spoke to him and congratulated him on being conferred this honour. One of the most respected statesmen of our times, his contribution to the development of India is monumental. His is a life that started from working at the grassroots to serving the nation as our Deputy Prime Minister. He distinguished himself as our Home Minister and I&B Minister as well. His Parliamentary interventions have always been exemplary, full of rich insights."
Talking about Advani's political journey, he, along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was the founder member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, Advani's story is unique for the party and contemporary Indian political history because it broke several stereotypes.
From being a non-Hindi-speaking Sindhi studying at the Christian missionary St. Patrick's School in Karachi and yet opting for the RSS, migrating to India from Pakistan post-Partition, gradually rising the ladder in the organisation, transforming the dynamic of Indian politics through his Ram Rath Yatra in 1990, to unleashing the biggest public mobilisation and debate in Independent India, Advani's political career has been remarkable.
Advani had capped a parliamentary career of nearly three decades; at first, he was the Home Minister and, later, sworn in as the Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999–2004).
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