New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is contemplating to confer the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
According to sources, a formal announcement in this regard is expected to be put in public domain on December 25 when the nation will celebrate the legendary leader's 90th birthday.
As per the reports available, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, which was voted to power this May, may bestow its first Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee on January 26 next year.
It is believed that party MPs in the parliamentary party meeting demanded that the first BJP Prime Minister should be conferred with the highest civilian honour.
The NDA government led by Vajpayee between 1999-2004 had conferred the award on Lata Mangeshkar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Amartya Sen, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Gopinath Bordoloi and Jayaprakash Narayan.
Last year, when UPA-II government had announced the Bharat Ratna for former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and scientist CNR Rao, the BJP, which was in the position, had criticised the decision accusing the Congress of ignoring Vajpayee's contribution in nation building.
It was only then that the BJP had announced that it would confer the Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee if voted to power.
