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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday hailed the Central Government over its decision to confer the Bharat Ratna to Former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Choudhary Charan Singh as well as Green Revolution pioneer MS Swaminathan and expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.
Addressing the press conference here on Friday, lauded the services of the former Prime Ministers- Narasimha Rao and Choudhary Charan Singh and the agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan and said that all three made their contribution to the country, to its society and to take it forward. "...I thank the PM, Central Government and President. Be it the farmers of the country, agricultural scientists or those who follow a democratic system in politics - I congratulate all of them. PV Narasimha Rao was one such PM who gave a respectable position to the then LoP Atal Bihari Vajpayee and sent him to the UN. Former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh always fought for farmers and was their messiah. Similarly, agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan made agriculture beneficial for the farmers...So, all of them made their contribution to the country, to its society and to take it forward. I thank the PM once again," he said. Former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Choudhary Charan Singh as well as Green Revolution pioneer MS Swaminathan will be conferred the Bharat Ratna adding to the two -- socialist leader Karpoori Thakur and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, already announced for this year. A Rashtrapati Bhawan communique made the announcement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding PM Narasimha Rao's liberalisation policies, and late Prime Minister Charan Singh's championing of the cause of farmers and agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan's services in the field. Born on June 28, 1921, in Karimnagar, Telangana, being an agriculturist and an advocate, Narsimha Rao joined politics and held some important portfolios. He was the Minister of Law and Information, 1962-64; Law and Endowments, 1964-67; Health and Medicine, 1967 and Education, 1968-71, Government of Andhra Pradesh. He was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1971-73 and General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee from 1975-76. Swaminathan, a prominent figure in Indian agriculture famed for his leading role in India's 'Green Revolution', will be conferred the honour posthumously, the Prime Minister said. On September 28, last year Swaminathan passed away at the age of 98 at his residence in Chennai. Born on December 23, 1903 in a peasant family in Noorpur village near Hapur, Charan Singh entered politics during the national movement. He was elected to the then United Provinces Assembly from Chhaprauli in 1937 on a Congress ticket. Charan Singh was also a minister in the government led by UP's second CM Dr Sampurnanand, and the third CM Chandra Bhanu Gupta, under whom he served as Home Minister. (ANI)
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