BJP leader LK Advani will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced today in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Mr Advani had been the BJP national president from 1986-90, 1993-98, and 2004-05.
Capping a parliamentary career of nearly three decades, Mr Advani was first the Home Minister and later, the Deputy Prime Minister in the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet from 1999 to 2004.
Mr Advani has labelled himself the "charioteer" who steered the 'rath yatra' that began in Gujarat's Somnath on September 25, 1990, and culminated with the demolition of the Babri masjid on December 6, 1992. He returned to Ayodhya on January 22 to see PM Modi, then his aide, headline the Ram temple consecration ceremony.
Mr Advani is widely regarded as an individual of great intellectual ability, strong principles, and unwavering support for the idea of a strong and prosperous India, the BJP says on its website.
The senior BJP leader was born on November 8, 1927, and grew up in pre-partition Sindh. As a student in St Patrick's School, Karachi, his patriotic ideals inspired him to join the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) when he turned 14, the BJP says.
Through the latter half of the 1980s and the 1990s, Mr Advani focused on the singular task of building the BJP into a national political force.
The results of his efforts were underscored by the 1989 general election, when the party bounced back from its 1984 tally of two to achieve an impressive 86 seats. The party's position moved up to 121 seats in 1992, and 161 in 1996, making the 1996 election a watershed in Indian democracy.
For the first time since Independence, the Congress was dethroned from its dominant position, and the BJP became the single-largest party in the Lok Sabha.
"I am very happy to share that Shri LK Advani Ji will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. I also spoke to him and congratulated him on being conferred this honour. One of the most respected statesmen of our times, his contribution to the development of India is monumental," PM Modi said in the post on X today.
"His is a life that started from working at the grassroots to serving the nation as our Deputy Prime Minister. He distinguished himself as our Home Minister and I&B Minister as well. His Parliamentary interventions have always been exemplary, full of rich insights," the Prime Minister said.
"Advani Ji's decades-long service in public life has been marked by an unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity, setting an exemplary standard in political ethics. He has made unparalleled efforts towards furthering national unity and cultural resurgence. The conferring of the Bharat Ratna on him is a very emotional moment for me. I will always consider it my privilege that I got countless opportunities to interact with him and learn from him," he added.
