Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Jugal Thakor Lokhandwala on Wednesday slammed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh for his swipe at Ghulam Nabi Azad over Padma award announced by the Centre and said the party should not do politics over their own leader.
Speaking to ANI, Jugal Thakor said, "The thinking of Congress is visible. Today we are giving Padma awards not to any person or party but to those who have done work for society, for the people who have devoted their lives."
"This is the thinking of the Congress party. Those who are senior in their own party, who have served the Congress for decades, have served the public, if they are being awarded the Padma Bhushan, then politics should not be brought into it. But it is the thinking of Congress that efforts are being made to humiliate those who are their big leaders," Thakor further said.
The mention of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's name among the Padma awardees drew a mixed response from his party colleagues.
Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh took an indirect swipe at Azad while welcoming former Bengal chief minister and CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's decision to reject the Padma award.
Retweeting the news of Bhattacharjee declining the top civilian award, Ramesh tweeted, "Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad, not Ghulam."
However, another party leader Shashi Tharoor welcomed the conferment of the award on Azad.
Azad and Bhattacharjee are two opposition leaders who have been honoured with the Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian award on the eve of the 73rd Republic Day.
( With inputs from ANI )
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