Monday saw a number of leaders hopping the Bharat Ratna bandwagon, demanding the honour for their “jewels”. LJP leader Ramvilas Paswan demanded Bharat Ratna for Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Babu Jagjivan Ram, and Mohd Rafi; Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad demanded it for Karpuri Thakur; Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his late father Biju Patnaik and Assam state unit of the Samajwadi Party wants it for Mulayam Singh. Mayawati has already demanded the honour for Kanshi Ram last week.

While the Congress is keeping a safe distance from the controversy, the BJP, which kickstarted it all, is unable to formulate a position on the demands. “We will respond to these questions in due time,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, when questioned on the party’s position on awarding Bharat Ratna to Phule, Karpuri Thakur, Rammanohar Lohia, Kanshi Ram, Jagjivan Ram etc.

Advani, who envisaged a win-win situation by demanding Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee, will now have to fine-tune a response to the wide range of demands. Since each demand is connected to a particular sectional interest, supporting or opposing it is not an option before the party. Party cannot easily equivocate either, after taking a definite position in the case of Vajpayee.

Particularly troublesome for the BJP is the demand from Patnaik, a close ally of the party. “There have been demands for conferring Bharat Ratna to Biju Babu earlier too, but now we will do this in a dignified and correct manner to suit the legendary personality,” the Orissa CM said on Monday. Leaders of the Biju Janata Dal also pointed out that Biju Patnaik has been conferred several prestigious civilian honours in Indonesia and Russia but has not been not given proper recognition in India. Biju Patnaik was a freedom fighter, industrialist and statesman, they said.

Paswan is unwilling to concede the space of Dalit politics to either Mayawati or Kanshi Ram and Bharat Ratna is the battlefield now. “Kanshi Ram was leader for a party. In fact, his influence did not even cross a single state,” said Paswan during a press conference in the Capital on Monday. Paswan, in fact, added that given a choice he would “rate Babu Jagjivan Ram above Kanshi Ram for the prestigious award”.

Supporting Mahatma Jyotiba Phule for the award, Paswan said that Phule was a social reformer whose work in the fields of social justice, concern for poor and weaker sections, and women’s education is notable contribution to nation building. He added that even Bharat Ratna Bhim Rao Ambedkar considered himself a disciple of Phule.

Only PM can decide

Unlike the Padma awards — where “nominations” are discussed and decided by an institutional mechanism — Bharat Ratna is essentially the prerogative of the Prime Minister. “Even if the Home Ministry receives a nomination for this award, it is simply forwarded to the Prime Minister’s office,” a Home Ministry official said.

Prime Ministers in the past have often had informal consultations across the political spectrum, including with the Leader of the Opposition and chief ministers before a formal decision.

Incidentally, while it is not mandatory for a Bharat Ratna — conferred for exceptional service towards advancement of art, literature and science, and in recognition of public service of the highest order — to be given every year, the last time it was given in 2001 when Lata Mangeshkar and Bismillah Khan were honoured.

The award has been conferred on 40 people since its inception in 1954, the first recipients being Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Dr C V Raman.

There is no written provision that only Indian nationals can be given a Bharat Ratna. It has been awarded to one naturalised India, Mother Teresa (1980) and two non-Indians, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990).

Process on for Padma awards: The Government initiated the process for the second highest national civilian honours, the Padma awards (Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri) over six months ago. An awards committee has been at work to shortlist nominations received from across the country.

The Union Home Ministry, that coordinates the exercise, is learnt to have received over 1,000 nominations since June last year, when the process for this year’s awards began.

It is not just state governments and institutions of excellence who can recommend individuals for these awards. “Individuals can also do so and the system also allows people to nominate themselves,” an official said.

Vinay Jha

All lit UP

Elaborate arrangements have been made in Lucknow for Chief Minister Mayawati’s birthday today. Public places and parks associated with the party ideologues in the state Capital have been lit up and decorated.

Maya on song

A special CD of songs rendered by top Bollywood singers, including Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam and Kailash Kher, has been released. According to a party leader, Mayawati herself has approved the lyrics and given clear instructions that only this CD should be played on her birthday.

State of celebrations

Party sources added that Mayawati had agreed to lighting, decorations and cake-cutting ceremonies at each of 403 constituency, but said a strict no to fireworks and crackers.

Capital blast

Mayawati will celebrate her birthday in Delhi by cutting a cake at the Taj Mansingh hotel. she is also expected to inaugurate the Ganga Expressway in Greater Noida.