Regret Vajpayee not awarded Bharat Ratna during UPA regime: Omar Abdullah

New Delhi, Mar 27: Congratulating Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Bharat Ratna, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted that he regret for the fact that Vajpayee was not awarded the highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna during UPA government.

"Vajpayee ji & his family, truly deserves this honor, regret tht he ws not awarded Bharat Ratna during UPA regime," Omar tweeted.

Omar had aired his views about the award, saying that the UPA government that it would have been a fitting jesture if UPA regime had risen above politics & conferred the Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee.

Vajpayee will be the seventh prime minister to receive the award, after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Gulzarilal Nanda.

President Pranab Mukherjee will present the Bharat Ratna to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence on Friday, Mar 27.

The president will also confer the Bharat Ratna on Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) on March 30 at Rashtrapati Bhavan along with the Civil Investiture Ceremony for the Padma Awards.

PTI