President Droupadi Murmu conferred Bharat Ratna on BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister L.Ok. Advani at his residence in Delhi on March 31.The ceremony was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Residence Minister Amit Shah and the relations of Advani, the Rashtrapati Bhavan stated in a submit on X.#WATCH | President Droupadi Murmu confers Bharat Ratna upon veteran BJP chief LK Advani on the latter’s residence in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu are additionally current on this event. pic.twitter.com/eYSPoTNSPL— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2024Prime Minister Modi sat subsequent to Mr. Advani because the President honoured the veteran chief with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.In a submit on X, Mr. Modi stated that it was particular to witness the conferring of the Bharat Ratna on Mr. Advani and this honour is a recognition of his enduring contributions to the nation’s progress.It was very particular to witness the conferring of the Bharat Ratna upon Shri LK Advani Ji. This honour is a recognition of his enduring contributions to our nation’s progress. His dedication to public service and his pivotal position in shaping trendy India have left an indelible mark… pic.twitter.com/ijVvAUrvFs— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 31, 2024″His dedication to public service and his pivotal position in shaping trendy India have left an indelible mark on our historical past. I’m proud to have gotten the chance to work with him very carefully over the past a number of a long time,” the prime minister stated.The Rashtrapati Bhavan described Mr. Advani as a doyen of Indian politics and stated that he has served the nation with unwavering dedication and distinction for over seven a long time. As a parliamentarian, his emphasis on dialogue enriched parliamentary traditions, it stated.Whether or not as Residence Minister or as Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Advani at all times prioritised nationwide curiosity above all, incomes him respect and admiration throughout occasion traces, it stated in a sequence of posts on X. “His lengthy and tireless battle for India’s cultural regeneration culminated within the reconstruction of Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2024,” it stated.Among the many handful of post-Independence political leaders who succeeded in reshaping the nationwide agenda and inserting it on the trail of growth, Mr. Advani’s accomplishments present the most effective articulation of the genius of India and its inclusive traditions, the Rashtrapati Bhavan stated and shared footage of the ceremony on X.Born in Karachi (now in Pakistan) in 1927, Mr. Advani migrated to India in 1947 throughout Partition. The 96-year-old BJP stalwart served as Deputy Prime Minister from June 2002 to Could 2004 and Union Residence Minister from October 1999 to Could 2004. He was BJP’s president a number of occasions, from 1986 to 1990, 1993 to 1998, and 2004 to 2005.Illustrious careerThe Rashtrapati Bhavan stated that together with his imaginative and prescient of cultural nationalism, Mr. Advani toiled onerous for many years, throughout the size and breadth of the nation and caused a metamorphosis within the socio-political panorama. “When Emergency put India’s democracy in danger, the indefatigable crusader in him helped guard it in opposition to authoritarian tendencies,” it stated within the submit.As the knowledge and broadcasting minister within the Janata Social gathering authorities (1977-79), Advani was instrumental within the restoration of democracy by dismantling the Emergency’s antidemocratic authorized edifice, reads the profile of the veteran chief shared by the Rashtrapati Bhavan. His contribution on the time was as intellectually inspiring, as politically impactful.A excessive level in Mr. Advani’s political life got here when he spearheaded the Ram Janmabhoomi motion within the late Nineteen Eighties and laid the inspiration for the revival of cultural nationalism. “His battle culminated within the reconstruction of the magnificent Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya in 2024, thus fulfilling the decades-old aspirations of numerous Indians,” it stated.Throughout his tenure because the Union Residence Minister, Mr. Advani caused essentially the most complete reforms in India’s nationwide safety system. He took a pro-active and uncompromising strategy to counter cross-border terrorism and made honest in addition to constant efforts to carry peace in Kashmir. His emphasis on harmonious centre-state relations resulted within the carving out of three new states — Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.Mr. Advani’s eventful political life can be remembered for his decided and diligent pursuit of core enduring beliefs such because the defence of democracy, cultural nationalism and clear politics, in line with the profile of the veteran chief shared by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Throughout his battle in opposition to Emergency (1975-77), Mr. Advani spent 19 months in Bangalore’s central jail.His e-book A Prisoner’s Scrap-Ebook (1977) is praised globally as the most effective works of jail literature, the profile acknowledged, including that Mr. Advani has at all times set exemplary requirements in political ethics.Thought to be a statesman who combines intellectualism, integrity and mass enchantment, Advani has been an avid reader and a prolific author. For his distinctive service in public life, Advani was conferred Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second-highest civilian award, in 2015.This 12 months, the federal government introduced 5 Bharat Ratna awards — one to Advani and 4 posthumously to former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan and two-time former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur.Mr. Rao, Mr. Singh, Mr. Swaminathan and Mr. Thakur’s kin obtained the award from the president on Saturday on the Rashtrapati Bhavan.