New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee's gesture to personally visit Atal Bihari Vajpayee to hand over the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, to the ailing former prime minister on Friday evening, has been widely welcomed.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi said the president by stepping out of protocol to personally visit Vajpayee at his Krishna Menon Marg residence to hand over the award to him is "a good and right step" as the former prime minister is in poor health.
Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Nitish Kumar said he welcomed the move to award Vajpayee, 90, the Bharat Ratna.
"The gesture of the president to go to his house to hand over the award is a very good step," he said. "We had demanded the Bharat Ratna for Atal-ji," he added.
Mukherjee will go to Vajpayee's residence here and confer the Bharat Ratna on him at an event in the evening.
Vajpayee's 88-year-old sister welcomed the move to give the top award to her brother.
"I have congratulated him and I am very happy. The tears come to my eyes when I think about the honour," she told reporters.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: "This is a proud moment for the country and all of us. He is a tall leader, a leader par excellence who has worked tirelessly for the country."
"He is a good orator, political leader, thinker and poet. There are very few people like him," he added.
MDMK leader Vaiko said: "Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the tallest leader of India. He is a true democrat, a great parliamentarian, a visionary. My association with him was for three decades. I dearly cherish the memories."
JD-U leader Sharad Yadav said: "We are all very happy that he is being conferred the Bharat Ratna. People are very happy. I had many occasions to interact with him through our 42-year-long association, so I am very happy."
Home Minister Rajnath Singh expressed happiness over Vajpayee being conferred the highest civilian award of the country.
"It is a moment of pride and happiness that Bharat Ratna will be conferred upon Atal-ji today (Friday). He is loved and admired by everyone," he tweeted.
Speaking to reporters, the home minister said Vajpayee is not just an Indian statesman but an international icon who is respected and loved by everyone.
"Atal-ji's name evokes a sense of respect and reverence in every heart," he said, adding that it is a matter of immense happiness for the whole country that Vajpayee is being bestowed with the honour.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Happy that Atal ji is being conferred Bharat Ratna today (Friday). A truly great statesman who richly deserves honour. I wish him well..."
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted: "Heartiest congratulations to our revered mentor & beloved Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji for being conferred with 'Bharat Ratna' today."
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: "My heartfelt congratulations to Vajpayee sahib & his family on the day he receives the Bharat Ratna. It was an honour to serve under him."
US Visa: President Joe Biden said – the wait time for Indians for US visas should be reduced
A commission from President Joe Biden has recommended that he consider issuing a memo to the State Department to reduce the waiting time for visa applications for people from countries like India to a
Jharkhand School Controversy: Jharkhand government surrounded by Islamization of schools, NCPCR sought a report
Imposing Islamic Practices in Jamtara and Garhwa District's Schools: The issue of Islamization of schools in Garhwa and Jamtara of Jharkhand has gained momentum. The issue of the imposition of Sharia
Russia India Talk: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to meet S Jaishankar today, all countries will watch
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to meet Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today. Sergei had reached India yesterday on a two-day visit. His visit comes at a time when there has
Paytm Share Sink: Paytm's investors are in trouble, then 12 percent broken share price, know where the price reached
The condition of Paytm, the parent company of One97 Communication, an online payment service provider, is in shambles. Its investors are not taking the name of improving their days. After the listing
The boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan is gaining momentum in India, and 30 percent of Indian tourists have cancelled their bookings.
The campaign to boycott Turkey and Azerbaijan for supporting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor is gaining momentum. This is not only affecting tourism but also the flight and business sectors.
Government careful before Friday prayers in UP: 3 km area of Kanpur converted into cantonment; RRF-PAC deployed in 8 cities including Meerut-Saharanpur
Security has been increased in UP on Friday for Friday prayers. Kanpur has been put on high alert for the most part. Tension has not subsided so far after the violence here on June 3. A radius of 3 km
IPL 2020, MI Predicted XI vs RR: Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan may take off with this playing XI
In the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai Indians are gradually gaining grip. After the defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings in the first match, Mumbai has made a great
Israel-Hamas War: Israel will face genocide charges in the International Court today, the government said this
It has been more than three months since the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. While so far more than 1200 lives have been lost in Hamas attacks in Israel, more than 23,000 deaths have occurred
Goa government accepted all the demands of the doctors, CM said to end the strike - Thank you
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that his government has accepted all the seven demands of the striking doctors. The CM met the striking doctors at Goa Medical College. Speaking to the media,
Vijay Sankalp Rally: Rajnath said in Vijay Sankalp rally - BJP became a hero from zero, a crowd gathered on the streets of Agartala
Campaigning for the Tripura Assembly elections is in full swing. Big leaders are visiting the state to campaign for their party. Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who visited the state on Tuesday,
