President Murmu awards LK Advani the Bharat Ratna
Former deputy prime minister and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party L.K. Advani received the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian accolade in the country, on Sunday at his home in New Delhi from President Droupadi Murmu.
According to a release from Rashtrapati Bhavan, Advani’s family members were present at the event along with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Rashtrapati Bhavan said that Advani, a respected figure in Indian politics, has devoted more than seven decades to serving the country with unmatched dedication and distinction. He was born in Karachi in 1927, moved to India in 1947 following the partition, and ever since, he has dedicated his life to advancing the cause of cultural nationalism, greatly influencing the country’s sociopolitical climate.
The article on X included images from the event and said, “When the Emergency put India’s democracy at risk, the indefatigable crusader in him helped guard it against authoritarian tendencies.”
As a lawmaker, his focus on communication enhanced parliamentary customs. He consistently placed the interests of the country above everything else, whether in his capacity as Home Minister or Deputy Prime Minister, winning him respect and affection from people of all political persuasions. The rebuilding of the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2024 was the result of his protracted and unceasing fight for India’s cultural revival, the statement stated.
His achievements are the finest expression of India’s brilliance and inclusive traditions, it said. He is one of the few post-Independence political leaders who has been able to reshape the national agenda and set it on the road of growth.
Advani, who was ninety-six years old, held the positions of Union Home Minister from October 1999 to May 2004 as well as deputy prime minister from June 2002 to May 2004. He has served as the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on many occasions, irrevocably changing the party’s leadership in 1986–1990, 1993–1998 and 2004–2005.
