Former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh as well as agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday. The government had earlier announced the country's highest civilian honour for L K Advani and Karpoori Thakur.
"Narasimha Rao steered India through critical transformations and also enriched its cultural and intellectual heritage," Modi said on X. Rao's visionary leadership, Modi said, was instrumental in making India economically advanced and laid a solid foundation for its prosperity, growth.
Congress former president Sonia Gandhi, who is believed to have not-so-friendly relations with the former PM Narasimha Rao said, "I welcome the decision." According to many media reports, Narasimha Rao and Gandhi family had bitter relations when he was India's prime minister in the early 1990's. Narasimha Rao was only the second Congress prime minister who was not from the Nehru-Gandhi family, and continues to be the only one who does not have a memorial after his name in New Delhi.
Congress leader Kamal Nath also took to X and said, "Hearty congratulations to all the countrymen on country's highest honour Bharat Ratna being awarded to senior Congress leader and former Prime Minister of the country, late PV Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister and farmer leader late Chaudhary Charan Singh and late Dr. MS Swaminathan, who made significant contributions to the farmers. Best wishes"
