Vajpayee has not retired from politics: Lalu
New
Delhi,
Jan
12:
Taking
exception
to
BJP
leader
L
K
Advani's
attempt
to
''mollify''
his
senior
party
colleague
Atal
Bihari
Vajpayee
by
recommending
his
name
for
'Bharat
Ratna',
Railway
Minister
Lalu
Prasad
today
said
Mr
Advani
had
apparently
made
the
move
to
buttress
his
prime
ministerial
ambitions.
''Mr Advani is nursing prime ministerial ambitions, and he has made the proposal to pave the way to project himself as the sole BJP candidate'' for seven RCR, the official residence of Prime Minister, Mr Prasad told reporters on the sidelines of a railway function. Mr Prasad, however, quipped that Mr Advani was only nurturing delusion as ''Mr Vajpayee has not retired from politics and he is very much in the race for the prime ministerial post.''
He said Mr Advani had apparently made a deft political move by trying to ensure that the UPA government clears his proposal which, in turn, would make the latter undisputed choice of the BJP for the prime ministerial office.
Mr Advani had, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, proposed that Mr Vajpayee be conferred upon the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, in view of his long-running parliamentary record and services to the country.
Commenting on the issue, Dr Singh told reporters here yesterday that it was too early to take a decision on it.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi had earlier said the government would follow the due procedure in the selection of personlities for the civilian awards.
''After hastily managing to get himself declared as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Mr Advani is now seeking to placate Mr Vajpayee by seeking the country's highest civilian award for him,'' he added.
Mr Vajpayee is an elder leader and ''we respect him.'' However, there was a set procedure for choosing the candidates for various honour, including Bharat Ratna, and this would be followed while giving such awards, Mr Dasmunsi said.
The Congress Party said Mr Vajpayee is a respected leader but the award can also be conferred upon veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu and Hindi cine star Dilip Kumar.
The BJP has reacted strongly, saying the Congress is trying to politicise the issue and create an ''unnecessary controversy'' over it.
UNI