Editor's Pick | Bharat Ratna for P.V. Narasimha Rao, Charan Singh, M.S. Swaminathan

The Bharat Ratna will be conferred on former Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, as well as Green Revolution pioneer M.S. Swaminathan, adding to the two awardees already announced earlier this year — socialist leader Karpoori Thakur, and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique made the announcement on Friday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding his late predecessors — the Congress PM Rao’s liberalisation policies, and the Janata Party (Secular) PM Singh’s championing of the farmers’ cause — as well as the late agricultural scientist Swaminathan’s services in the field. This year’s tally of five Bharat Ratna awardees, one more than the four announced in 1999, is the highest that has ever been announced in a single year. Four of the five awards announced this year are posthumous. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge both welcomed the announcement. “On behalf of the Indian National Congress, we welcome the Bharat Ratna being conferred to Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. Former Prime Minister and former Congress president, Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao, has tremendously contributed to nation building,” Mr. Kharge said, in a post on X. The Congress president added that under Rao’s government, India embarked on a transformative journey with a series of economic reforms that played a pivotal role in shaping the middle class for generations to come. Rao was Prime Minister when the Babri Masjid was demolished by kar sewaks in 1992; combined with the fact that his tenure at the top was the first full term completed by a non-Gandhi PM, this has led to a complicated relationship with the party’s current leadership. Rao was also the first PM from southern India. Asked about the Bharat Ratna announcements, specifically the award for Rao, Ms. Gandhi said “I welcome them... Why not?” Rao’s grandson, P.V. Subhash, also welcomed the honour. “The Gandhi family was instrumental in making Narasimha Rao a scapegoat for the failures of the Congress party. It’s an honour for us that at this crucial juncture where Narendra Modi has become the national leader, this has been announced. I feel very, very emotional because we had been expecting that the recognition will be delayed.” Mr. Modi has often said in the past that the Congress had not recognised the talent of P.V. Narasimha Rao. As for Charan Singh, the Jat leader who served as PM between 1979 and 1980, he has been given the award at a time when the ruling BJP is negotiating with his grandson, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Choudhary, for an alliance in the upcoming general election, and farmers in western UP have launched fresh protests. Jayant Choudhary indicated soon after the honour to his grandfather that the RLD is set to join the NDA, sounding another blow to Opposition unity. “Be it as an MLA, as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister or the country’s Home Minister, he always speeded up the nation-building exercise and also stood strongly against the Emergency. Singh’s dedication to farmers and commitment to democracy during the Emergency inspires the country,” the PM said. With regard to Swaminathan, Mr. Modi said that he had “played a pivotal role in helping India achieve self-reliance in agriculture during challenging times and made outstanding efforts towards modernising Indian agriculture. We also recognise his invaluable work as an innovator and mentor and encouraging learning and research among several students.” Speaking to the media in Chennai, Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and the daughter of the late scientist, said her father had been recognised for his lifetime of contributions to agriculture and more importantly to the welfare of farmers and the poorest and most vulnerable of the country. The Hindu’s Editorials Prudence prevails: On keeping monetary policy disinflationary A failed coup: On Bolsonaro and Brazil’s politics The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz When will the United States elections be held this year? April 10 November 5 September 4 July 15 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 10 February 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]Open in browser [Mail icon]More newsletters Bharat Ratna for P.V. Narasimha Rao, Charan Singh, M.S. Swaminathan The Bharat Ratna will be conferred on former Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, as well as Green Revolution pioneer M.S. Swaminathan, adding to the two awardees already announced earlier this year — socialist leader Karpoori Thakur, and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. [A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique made the announcement on Friday]( with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding his late predecessors — the Congress PM Rao’s liberalisation policies, and the Janata Party (Secular) PM Singh’s championing of the farmers’ cause — as well as the late agricultural scientist Swaminathan’s services in the field. This year’s tally of five Bharat Ratna awardees, one more than the four announced in 1999, is the highest that has ever been announced in a single year. Four of the five awards announced this year are posthumous. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge both welcomed the announcement. “On behalf of the Indian National Congress, we welcome the Bharat Ratna being conferred to Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. Former Prime Minister and former Congress president, Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao, has tremendously contributed to nation building,” Mr. Kharge said, in a post on X. The Congress president added that under Rao’s government, India embarked on a transformative journey with a series of economic reforms that played a pivotal role in shaping the middle class for generations to come. Rao was Prime Minister when the Babri Masjid was demolished by kar sewaks in 1992; combined with the fact that his tenure at the top was the first full term completed by a non-Gandhi PM, this has led to a complicated relationship with the party’s current leadership. Rao was also the first PM from southern India. Asked about the Bharat Ratna announcements, specifically the award for Rao, Ms. Gandhi said “I welcome them... Why not?” Rao’s grandson, P.V. Subhash, also welcomed the honour. “The Gandhi family was instrumental in making Narasimha Rao a scapegoat for the failures of the Congress party. It’s an honour for us that at this crucial juncture where Narendra Modi has become the national leader, this has been announced. I feel very, very emotional because we had been expecting that the recognition will be delayed.” Mr. Modi has often said in the past that [the Congress had not recognised the talent of P.V. Narasimha Rao](. As for Charan Singh, the Jat leader who served as PM between 1979 and 1980, he has been given the award at a time when the ruling BJP is negotiating with his grandson, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Choudhary, for an alliance in the upcoming general election, and farmers in western UP have launched fresh protests. Jayant Choudhary indicated soon after the honour to his grandfather that the RLD is set to join the NDA, sounding another blow to Opposition unity. “Be it as an MLA, as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister or the country’s Home Minister, he always speeded up the nation-building exercise and also stood strongly against the Emergency. Singh’s dedication to farmers and commitment to democracy during the Emergency inspires the country,” the PM said. With regard to Swaminathan, Mr. Modi said that he had “played a pivotal role in helping India achieve self-reliance in agriculture during challenging times and made outstanding efforts towards modernising Indian agriculture. We also recognise his invaluable work as an innovator and mentor and encouraging learning and research among several students.” Speaking to the media in Chennai, Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and the daughter of the late scientist, said her father had been recognised for his lifetime of contributions to [agriculture and more importantly to the welfare of farmers]( and the poorest and most vulnerable of the country. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Prudence prevails: On keeping monetary policy disinflationary]( [Arrow][A failed coup: On Bolsonaro and Brazil’s politicsÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz When will the United States elections be held this year? - April 10 - November 5 - September 4 - July 15 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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