NEW DELHI: Former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) veteran Deve Gowda on Saturday welcomed the central government’s decision on awarding Bharat Ratna and asked those questioning the move not to differ with the Centre on this issue.
“Unnecessary, let us not try to again differ on a major issue taken by our prime minister to confer Bharat Ratna for these great leaders,” said the veteran leader speaking in Rajya Sabha today, the last session of the ongoing Budget session of Parliament.
The government on Thursday announced that Chaudhary Charan Singh, PV Narasimha Rao and MS Swaminathan will be awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously.
Speaking on the Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha which was taken for discussion in the Upper House today, the JDS veteran, who attended the January 22 event, said it is Lord Rama and his divine blessings that united this nation and laid the foundation for the nation.
“I and my wife both attended the consecration of the Lord Rama temple in Ayodhya. It was a great moment of personal joy and devotion for me like it was to millions of Indians. Ayodhya Ram existed in our hearts and minds is an image that our ancestors and elders have permanently created. Lord Rama is a symbol of righteousness, he is a symbol of love and graciousness, is a man who followed dharma and Raj Dharma, he was very accommodative,” Gowda said.
“It is these values that are enshrined in Lord Rama that drew Mahatma Gandhi to him. It is Mahatma Gandhi who made Lord Rama a symbol of the great virtues of our nation. It is through Lord Rama and his divine blessings that united this nation and laid the foundation for our nation,” Gowda added.
Further, he added he wished and prayed that Lord Rama temple in Ayodhya will become the symbol of our nation and the world. He also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for religiously doing the 11-day fasting rituals in the run-up to the Ram Lalla Pran Pratistha day.
“I was so happy and I must be very frank that the prime minister was so dedicated and so sincere while performing the Pran Pratistha function,” Gowda said.
This is the last session of the current Lok Sabha before the general elections, which are likely to be held in April-May this year.
The budget session was initially scheduled to conclude on February 9 and has been extended by a day. (ANI)