New Delhi: Behind the Centre’s decision to bestow the Bharat Ratna to former prime ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh and prominent scientist M. S. Swaminathan is a seemingly well-thought strategy of the Modi government in an election year.
Though Rao was a towering Congress leader who ushered in economic liberalisation of India in 1991, the drastic fall in his ties with the Gandhi family has often been a topic taken up by the BJP and other parties to slam the country’s oldest party.
It is a coup-like situation on the Congress, as PM Narendra Modi himself often mentioned that how the Gandhi family has not given respect to national icons Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and Pranab Mukherjee among others.
Similarly, Charan Singh was the first non-Congress chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and, more importantly, a giant leader from the influential Jat community. Singh had to resign from the prime minister’s chair after just 23 days in power in August 1979, as the Congress withdrew support to his government.
Swaminathan, the father of India’s Green revolution, hailed from Tamil Nadu, a state where the BJP is increasingly trying to make inroads.
Soon after the decision was announced, Charan Singh’s grandson and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary gave a thumbs up to the Modi government with a one-liner in Hindi:‘Dil Jeet Liya (Won the heart)’
दिल जीत लिया! #BharatRatna https://t.co/Ns0CraJ7yI
— Jayant Singh (@jayantrld) February 9, 2024
One of the demands of the RLD for an alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was the nation’s topmost civilian award to the former prime minister, ThePrint has learnt.
The talk is that the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), too, switched over to the NDA camp after the Centre announced Bharat Ratna to former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur.
“Charan Singh is not only a significant Jat leader in Uttar Pradesh but his influence is far and wide. Jats have a good presence in Haryana and Rajasthan as well. Don’t forget he was the first non-Congress (UP) chief minister and fought against the Congress during Emergency,” a BJP functionary told ThePrint.
He then went on to mention how the sexual harassment of women wrestlers and farm agitation have hit the stocks of the BJP among the Jats, particularly in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
“The conferring of the Bharat Ratna to Charan Singh is an award to the farming community… It has a huge political significance. He is an icon among a section in north India who led the fight against the Congress.”
“At a time when there is bickering among INDIA bloc allies, the BJP has balanced social justice politics with farming community sentiments of people (by honouring Thakur and Charan Singh). Both leaders fought against the Congress,” the BJP functionary added.
Also Read: What’s behind PM Modi’s sudden announcement of Bharat Ratna for LK Advani
South foray in poll year
As for Rao, the Congress veteran had served as the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh from 1962 to 1973. His birthplace now falls near Karimnagar in Telangana, a state where the Congress came to power in December last year.
The BJP is also looking to expand its base in Telangana where the Congress is now on a resurgence, apart from exploiting the episode in which the party leadership is said to have ensured that Rao’s last rites were held in Hyderabad.
Rao’s grandson N.V. Subhash Rao praised PM Modi for conferring the Bharat Ratna to the former prime minister.
“PM Modi has conferred P.V. Narasimha Rao though he belongs to the Congress party. Now, I blame the UPA government, especially the Gandhi family, which did not confer any award to him when the UPA was ruling from 2004 to 2014,” Subhash Rao told the media.
“The Gandhi family was instrumental in making Narasimha Rao a scapegoat for the failures of the Congress party…It’s a pride, an honour for us that at this point of time, at this crucial juncture where Narendra Modi has become the national leader and as the leader of the whole world, he has been constantly recognising (leaders). I thank the BJP Telangana also for making this a grand success and the dream come true…,” he added.
PM Modi himself tweeted about Rao and mentioned his role as the chief minister and the prime minister.
Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, Shri PV Narasimha Rao Garu, will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna.
As a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao Garu served India extensively in various capacities. He is equally remembered for the work he did as… pic.twitter.com/lihdk2BzDU
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 9, 2024
Similarly, he extolled the contributions of Charan Singh and Swaminathan towards the progress of the country.
Meanwhile, the BJP is said to be sending a message not just to the agrarian community but also to the state of Tamil Nadu where the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) came out of the NDA fold in September.
“Swaminathan’s green revolution has benefited agriculture from Punjab to Tamil Nadu. Similarly, Rao rose to become the prime minister from south India. The party has empowered those icons who were not recognised during their time by the Congress,” another BJP leader said.
Social observers asserted that the BJP has struck a fine balance with the latest announcements of the Bharat Ratna.
“By choosing the social justice constituency (Thakur) and Hindutva (L.K.Advani), the BJP balanced Hindutva with social justice politics. It has now tried to balance the agrarian community by conferring the award to Charan Singh and Swaminathan. The BJP has balanced north, south, Hindutva, social justice politics in one stroke,” noted social scientist Prof. Badri Narayan told ThePrint.
“Appropriating Rao is a clever strategy to get a foothold in South India, particularly Telangana where the Congress has made government. It’s a known fact that the Congress first family has not maintained cordial relationship with Rao,” another social scientist Prof. Nadeem Rizvi told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Why Bharat Ratna is key to BJP’s ‘Karpoori-kamandal’ ploy to stump Nitish & INDIA in LS polls