Former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh has been posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. PM Modi praised Singh's unwavering dedication to the welfare of farmers throughout his political career, spanning from Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to Home Minister of the nation.
"He dedicated his life to the welfare of farmers... whether as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh or Home Minister of the country, and even as MLA, he always gave impetus to nation-building. He stood against the Emergency (and) his dedication to our farmer brothers and sisters is inspiring..." PM Modi wrote on X formerly Twitter.
The timing of the Bharat Ratna announcement coincides with reports of a political alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), founded by Singh's son and currently led by his grandson, Jayant Chaudhary. Media reports indicate that the BJP has agreed to allocate two Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat to the RLD, which holds significant support among Jats and farmers in western Uttar Pradesh.
Jayant Chaudhary responded to PM Modi's announcement with a tweet expressing gratitude, signalling approval of the decision. Sharing the Prime Minister's post, he wrote on social media platform X, "Dil jeet liya (Won hearts)."
This development follows the RLD's recent alliance with the Samajwadi Party, led by Akhilesh Yadav, for contesting seven Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Chaudhary Charan Singh's Bharat Ratna is the fifth such honour announced by the government this year. Previous recipients include former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, BJP stalwart LK Advani, and renowned agronomist MS Swaminathan.