The government on Wednesday announced that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malaviya will be honoured with India's highest civilian award- Bharat Ratna.
"President Mukherjee has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) and to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee," a tweet from the President's office said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "It is a matter of great delight. Country's highest honour to these illustrious stalwarts is a fitting recognition of their service to the Nation."
He further added, "Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya is remembered as a phenomenal scholar and freedom fighter who lit the spark of national consciousness among people."
A renowned BJP leader, Vajpayee led the first NDA government as the 11th Prime Minister of India, first for 13 days in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004.
Vajpayee, who has been ailing for sometime, has been credited for taking bold initiatives, notable being the attempt to bridge Indo-Pak differences.
He was also the first non-Congress leader to serve a full five-year term as the prime minister and also served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh until 2009, when he retired from active politics due to health concerns. He was also the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Morarji Desai.
Several BJP leaders and MPs, including Murli Manohar Joshi, have demanded that the top honour be awarded to Vajpayee. NDA partner Shiv Sena too came out in support of conferring Bharat Ratna to the first BJP Prime Minister.
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