Rejecting the Padma Bhushan award, former West Bengal chief minister and veteran CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Tuesday, “No one has told me anything about it". Meanwhile, Government sources clarified that his family was well-informed about it in the morning and at that time no intent of rejection was expressed.
Bhattacharjee said in a statement, “I know nothing about this award. No one has told me anything about it. If they have decided to offer Padma Bhushan to me, I refuse to accept it." According to CPI(M) sources, it was a decision of Bhattacharjee and also the party.
Meanwhile, Government sources told news agency ANI, "It is factually incorrect that the family was not informed about the government's decision to Besto him with this honour."
As per the sources, a very senior official from the Ministry of Home Affairs had called up the Bhattacharjee household and spoken to his wife.
"At that time no intent of rejection was expressed by the wife or anybody else from the family. The government release the list of awards is only late in the night therefore it is being assumed that this could have been a political afterthought," sources said.
Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh were confered with Padma awards
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Hindutva poster boy late Kalyan Singh, India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and former West Bengal CM and CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee were selected on Tuesday for this year's Padma awards.
Singh and General Rawat who died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu last month were conferred Padama Vibushan, the country's second-highest civilian award, along with 88-year-old Indian classical vocalist Prabha Atre and the late Radheshyam Khemka, former chairman of Geeta Press, which publishes Hindu religious books.
Cyrus Poonawalla Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella given Padma Bhushan
Cyrus Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India, which manufactured COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, and Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella of Bharat Biotech, which produced India's indigenous coronavirus vaccine Covaxin, were also given Padma Bhushan.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, chairperson of Tata Group Natarajan Chandrasekaran were conferred Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award.
No names for Bharat Ratna
No names were announced for Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, which was last awarded in 2019 to former President Pranab Mukherjee, social reformer Nanaji Deshmukh and noted singer Bhupen Hazarika.
