NCP against Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee

PATNA: Amid growing demand for bestowing Bharat Ratna to veteran BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) did not support the demand saying no distinguished work has been done by him except becoming Prime Minister of the country.

"If we start honouring people occupying the post of Prime Minister with Bharat Ratna there will be a long queue for the decorated reward," NCP General Secretary Tariq Anwar told reporters.

"We respect Vajpayee. He served as Prime Minister of the country but there is hardly any distinguished work done by him," he said opposing the demand.

Asked if socialist leaders like Rammanohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur deserved this honour, he said "if we start honouring everybody doing work in political and social field there will be no end to the queue."

Those who have been bestowed Bharat Ratna have done extraordinary work in their respective field which separated them from others, he said to highlight the concept of the honour.

While backing BJP demand of Bharat Ratna for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who served as Railway minister under him, had mooted the honour for socialist ideologue Rammanohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur, who served as Chief Minister of Bihar in 1977.

Tariq Anwar, who is Minister of State for Agriculture in UPA II, was here in connection with a function of youth NCP of the state unit.