New Delhi: Former President Pranab Mukherjee, Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh and singer Bhupen Hazarika were on Friday confer-red the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. The award has been conferred after a gap of four years.
“He (Deshmukh) personifies humility, compassion and service to the downtrodden. He is a Bharat Ratna in the tr-uest sense!,” he tweeted.
Praising Hazarika, Mr Modi said his songs and music are admired by people across generations. “From them radiates the message of justice, harmony and brotherhood.”
“He (Hazarika) popularised India’s musical traditions globally. Hap-py that the Bharat Ratna has been conferred on Bhupen Da,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
The 83-year-old Mukherjee, who was also known as the quintessential Man on Friday of the Congress, joins the elite club with Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Rajendra Prasad, Zakir Hus-sain and V.V. Giri who had been conferred the coveted award.
Mukherjee became India’s youngest finance minister in 1982 at the age of 47. From 2004, he went on to head three crucial ministries - External Affairs, Defence and Finance -and became the first occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to have this distinction.
