Bharat Ratna: BJP hopes to gain electorally with choice of awardees

New Delhi: By picking three ideological and political opponents, former Prime Ministers Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur, in addition to party patriarch LK Advani and father of the green revolution MS Swaminathan for the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has offered an olive branch to social groups where it lacks a foothold and above all embarrassed the Congress by embracing leaders who fell out of favour with the Gandhi family.
On Friday, PM Narendra Modi announced the Bharat Ratna for Rao, Singh and Swaminathan. The honour for Advani was announced last week, and for Thakur the week before that.
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Referring to Rao as “a distinguished scholar and statesman”, the PM said he will be equally remembered for the work he did as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister, and as a Member of Parliament and Legislative Assembly for many years.
“His visionary leadership was instrumental in making India economically advanced, laying a solid foundation for the country’s prosperity and growth,” he said in a post on X.
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The conspicuous pursuit of voters in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana apart, the message in picking Rao, a polyglot who could recite Sanskrit shlokas (verse) and was conversant with the Vedas and Upanishads “is obvious” said a senior party functionary.
“He was treated badly by the Gandhi family and therefore by the Congress party and the PM and the BJP leadership have always drawn attention to how even a senior leader like Rao can fall from grace. When the PM attacks the Congress for fostering dynasty and overlooking talent, Rao exemplifies it,” the leader said.
The BJP, which has set its sights on strengthening its position in Telangana, is hopeful that by picking Rao for the top honour, denied to him by the Congress, the party will gain electorally. Rao was born in undivided AP. “The BJP was trying to woo Rao’s daughter Vani Devi, but it was the BRS the scored on the front by nominating her as an MLC. With the award, the party has not allowed the BRS to stake claim to his legacy in the state,” said a second party functionary.
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The award for Rao comes close on the heels of the consecration of the Ram Temple, an issue that brought Rao closer to the RSS, the ideological fount of the BJP.
“Since he was directly involved in the negotiations between the Hindu and Muslim groups, he forged a friendship with the (then) VHP top boss, Ashok Singhal. He would later praise Rao for showing a desire to construct a Bhavya Mandir (grand temple) and government acquiring land adjacent to the disputed site,” the first functionary said.
The honour for Swaminathan, is also an attempt to give its outreach in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala a fillip and for reinforcing the commitment towards the farming community. Referring to the Kerala-born Swaminathan, who made TN his home, the PM said monumental contributions to our nation in agriculture and farmers’ welfare. “He played a pivotal role in helping India achieve self-reliance in agriculture during challenging times and made outstanding efforts towards modernizing Indian agriculture,” he said.
Swaminathan was born in the Madras Presidency which included present-day Andhra Pradesh, almost all of Tamil Nadu and some parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana. “The PM has spoken about doubling farm incomes, increasing yield to cut dependence on imports and becoming self-sufficient, issues that Swaminath worked for all his life. By honouring him, the PM has reiterated that the welfare of the community is top of the agenda,” the first functionary said.
The award for Singh, a Jat leader, that comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls is expected to bolster the party’s outreach towards the farmers and the Jat community that spans across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. The BJP is also close to announcing an alliance with his grandson, Jayant Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal.
“Ahead of the UP (state) polls, the BJP was expected to fare poorly in the Jat dominated parts of the state owing to the farmer’s protest that went on for a year. But that did not happen. The BJP has emerged as the party of choice for the Jats as well, barring in some constituencies where Jat-Muslim combination is a driving force. RLD coming on board will only further cement BJP-Jat ties,” said the first functionary quoted above.
With the award for the political opponents, the BJP has also attempted to puncture the allegations of running an unrelenting campaign against the opposition.
“The PM while bidding farewell to former PM Mammohan Singh (in the Rajya Sabha) praised his contribution to democracy…the BJP has conferred the honour on Pranab Mukherjee (Congress), Karpoori Thakur, Rao and now Chaudhary all of whom had no ideological links with the Sangh Parivaar. This shows that while he attacks the opposition for their failings, he does not shy away from acknowledging the contributions of leaders from other parties,” said a third party functionary.