BJP distances itself from Sen debate
26 July 2013 12:07 AM GMT
The declaration made by a Rajya Sabha member from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen would be stripped of Bharat Ratna , if National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power, has left his party colleagues scurrying for cover. What embarrassed the BJP was the statement from the veteran economist that he was determined to ready the honour if party’s tallest leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked him to do so.
‘He (the concerned BJP MP) may not know that the Bharat Ratna was given to me by the BJP-led government and was handed to me by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If Mr Vajpayee wants me to return it, I will certainly return it,’ Amartya Sen told a private news channel. The demand from BJP MP came after the prominent economist criticised Narendra Modi’s model of governance saying he did not approve of it. Sen also emphasised that during the NDA regime he held several rounds of discussion with party leaders like LK Advani, Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Arun Jaitley.
While a critically ill Vajpayee is not in a position to react to Sen’s offer, party’s senior leaders sought to distance themselves from the MP’s remark, which the arch-rival Congress has termed as ‘fascist’.  Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman called the whole controversy unfortunate. ‘Bharat Ratna debate is unfortunate. BJP is not a part of it. Views expressed by member/s can only be construed as their personal opinion,’ said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.
Her views were echoed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who said that the comments made by the MP were ‘his personal view’. However, Manish Tewari hit out at the BJP for its attack on Sen, who had raised the heckles of the saffron party saying he did not want to see Narendra Modi as prime minister since he did not have secular credentials.
‘He (the concerned BJP MP) may not know that the Bharat Ratna was given to me by the BJP-led government and was handed to me by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If Mr Vajpayee wants me to return it, I will certainly return it,’ Amartya Sen told a private news channel. The demand from BJP MP came after the prominent economist criticised Narendra Modi’s model of governance saying he did not approve of it. Sen also emphasised that during the NDA regime he held several rounds of discussion with party leaders like LK Advani, Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Arun Jaitley.
While a critically ill Vajpayee is not in a position to react to Sen’s offer, party’s senior leaders sought to distance themselves from the MP’s remark, which the arch-rival Congress has termed as ‘fascist’.  Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman called the whole controversy unfortunate. ‘Bharat Ratna debate is unfortunate. BJP is not a part of it. Views expressed by member/s can only be construed as their personal opinion,’ said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.
Her views were echoed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who said that the comments made by the MP were ‘his personal view’. However, Manish Tewari hit out at the BJP for its attack on Sen, who had raised the heckles of the saffron party saying he did not want to see Narendra Modi as prime minister since he did not have secular credentials.
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