Should Atal Bihari Vajpayee get the Bharat Ratna? Your Say!

The Bharatiya Janata Party has once again demanded to know why the Bharat Ratna -- the highest civilian honour in India -- has not been bestowed on veteran party leader and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"The Bharat Ratna was awarded to Sachin Tendulkar and scientist C N R Rao. I congratulate them. But today I am raising a question -- why has Vajpayee not been awarded the Bharat Ratna,” said deputy leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The BJP had raised this demand back in 2008 and again in 2010.

Party leader L K Advani had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about it, but the government remained, and remains, non-committal about it.

Do you, our dear readers, think it is high time the Union government awarded the Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee? Or do you believe that the former prime minister does not deserve India’s highest civilian honour?

Let us know what you think! Share your opinions and comments on the message board below.

Image: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with former premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee ' Photograph: Reuters