"We don't oppose Bharat Ratna to LK Advani": Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 3 (ANI): After the announcement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani will be conferred the nation's top civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he is not opposing it.
"We have not opposed the centre's decision of conferring LK Advani with Bharat Ratna. Let the award be given to him," said Siddaramaiah.
He wrote a letter requesting to bestow the Bharat Ratna award to Tumkuru Siddhaganga Swamy.
Meanwhile, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, while congratulating the veteran BJP leader, took a veiled dig at the ruling party at the Centre.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, the BRS leader claimed that the announcement of the country's highest civilian honour for the BJP veteran marks the fulfilment of the party's agenda after the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
"It is good that the Ram Temple finally saw the light of day and Advani-ji would also be conferred with the Bharat Ratna. It marks the fulfilment of the BJP's agenda. I would like to wish heartiest congratulations to Lal Krishna Advani on being picked for the country's highest (civilian) honour," Kavitha told ANI on Saturday.
Taking to the social media platform, PM Modi said the former Union Minister's contribution to the development of India is monumental.
"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. 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," PM posted on X.
Born in Karachi, in present-day Pakistan, on November 8, 1927, Advani through the years had served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the longest period since its inception in 1980. Capping a parliamentary career of nearly three decades, he was, first, the Home Minister and, later, the Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999-2004).
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. As confirmed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani has 'never compromised on his core belief in nationalism, and yet has displayed flexibility in political responses whenever it was demanded by the situation'.
The veteran leader's celebration of India's independence from the British in 1947 was sadly short-lived as he became one of the millions to be torn from his homeland amidst the terror and bloodshed of the tragedy of India's partition. These events, however, did not turn him bitter or cynical but instead spurred him on in his desire to create a more secular India. With this goal in mind, he journeyed to Rajasthan to continue his work as an RSS Pracharak.
Through the latter half of the 1980s and the 1990s, LK 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. The Party bounced back from its 1984 tally of 2 to achieve an impressive 86 seats. The Party position moved up to 121 seats in 1992 and 161 in 1996; making the 1996 elections a watershed in Indian democracy. For the first time since independence, the Congress was dethroned from its preeminent position, and the BJP became the single largest party in the Lok Sabha. (ANI)