By means of PTI
NEW DELHI: The Padma Bhushan award for Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad induced a spat within the opposition celebration on Wednesday at the same time as he scotched hypothesis about his long term plan whilst Tabla maestro Anindya Chatterjee changed into the 3rd person–all from West Bengal–to refuse Padma honours this 12 months.
An afternoon after Padma awards, probably the most perfect civilian awards of the rustic, had been introduced in quite a lot of spheres of actions, Azad, a former leader minister of Jammu and Kashmir, additionally denied experiences that had claimed he had modified his Twitter profile, calling it a ”mischievous propaganda”.
Senior Congress chief Kapil Sibal took a jibe at his celebration, pronouncing it was once ironic that the Congress does no longer want his products and services when the country recognises his contributions to public lifestyles.
Sibal, Anand Sharma and Shashi Tharoor — who had been some of the 23 Congress leaders dubbed because the ‘G-23’ who wrote to celebration leader Sonia Gandhi tough organisational overhaul in 2020 — congratulated Azad.
Azad, who was once additionally a signatory to the letter to Gandhi, was once awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to public affairs.
”Ironic that the Congress does not want his(Azad’s) products and services when the country recognises his contributions to public lifestyles,” Sibal stated.
Whilst Sharma stated the award for Azad was once a ”neatly deserved popularity” of his lifelong enriching contribution to public provider and Parliamentary democracy, Tharoor famous that it’s just right to be identified for one’s public provider even by means of a ”govt of the opposite aspect”.
On the other hand, Congress chief Jairam Ramesh had on Tuesday taken a veiled dig at Azad.
Regarding former West Bengal leader minister and CPI-M veteran Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s refusal to just accept the Padma Bhushan, Ramesh perceived to recommend that Azad must additionally practice swimsuit.
”Proper factor to do. He desires to be Azad no longer Ghulam,” Ramesh stated on Twitter.
Congress veteran and previous Regulation minister Ashwani Kumar got here out in fortify of Azad, and hit out at Ramesh pronouncing his complaint of Azad is not anything not up to a ”shameful innuendo” and does no longer do justice to the dignitarian ethos of the Congress celebration.
”Congress Rajya Sabha Whip’s complaint of Ghulam Nabi Azad for receiving the Padma award is not anything not up to a shameful innuendo supposed to rob each the Award and its recepient of the deserved dignity.
”Any such mindset does no longer do justice to the dignitarian ethos of the Congress,” Kumar stated in a observation.
Shiv Sena, a key best friend of the Congress, additionally frowned upon makes an attempt by means of a piece of leaders of the grand outdated celebration to focus on Azad.
Calling somebody ‘Azad’ for declining a countrywide honour and ‘Ghulam’ for accepting it, displays how shallow one’s idea is in opposition to a countrywide honour, Shiv Sena chief and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi stated on Twitter.
”This is not the primary nor the ultimate time that opposition leaders will probably be said for his or her paintings, please take care of that spirit and dignity,” stated Chaturvedi, who hand over the Congress to sign up for the Shiv Sena.
Some other former Congress chief Sushmita Dev hit again at Ramesh questioning whether or not the Padma Bhushan honour for former Assam leader minister overdue Tarun Gogoi or the Bharat Ratna to former President overdue Pranab Mukherjee additionally made them ‘Ghulams’.
”Padma Bhushan for Tarun Gogoi and Bharat Ratna for Pranab Mukherjee – does it cause them to Ghulams,” requested Dev, a Rajya Sabha member from Trinamool Congress.
Azad took to Twitter to mention that ”some mischievous propaganda” was once being circulated by means of some other people to create confusion. ”Not anything has been got rid of or added to my Twitter profile. The profile is because it was once previous.” Azad’s Twitter profile has not anything written on it and there’s no connection with the Congress celebration.
Within the age of social media, the Twitter profiles of leaders are keenly watched as usually many have a tendency to switch them ahead of officially switching events.
An emotional High Minister Narendra Modi had showered reward on Azad in his speech all the way through the farewell to the Chief of the Opposition within the Rajya Sabha ultimate 12 months.
Azad has just lately travelled broadly in villages of Jammu and Kashmir and gained an encouraging reaction. He’s once more making plans to consult with Jammu and Kashmir within the coming days.
Anindya Chatterjee is the second one user from Bengal’s colourful musical global who has rejected the Padma award this 12 months and the 3rd from the state to say no the civilian honours this 12 months after Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and making a song legend Sandhya Mukherjee The eminent percussionist, who has carried out `jugalbandis’ (duets) with classical maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, stated he had gained a telephone name from Delhi on Tuesday looking for his consent to accepting Padma Shri.
”On the other hand I with politeness declined. I stated thanks however It’s not that i am able to obtain Padma Shri at this segment of my profession. I’ve handed that segment,” stated Chatterjee who gained the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2002. A disciple of Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh, he was once the youngest tabla participant to accomplish within the British Parliament’s Space of Commons in 1989.
Chatterjee stated he would have permitted the dignity with gratitude had it been conferred on him 10 years in the past.
”Lots of my contemporaries and juniors got Padma Shri years in the past. Anyway I stated with all humbleness, that I’m sorry however I will not settle for it (award) now.” Sandhya Mukherjee’s daughter Soumi Sengupta on Tuesday stated that the making a song legend had informed a senior legitimate who had referred to as from Delhi that she was once no longer prepared to be named as a Padma Shri recipient on being contacted looking for her consent.
”On the age of 90, with a making a song profession spanning over about 8 a long time, being selected for Padma Shri is demeaning for a singer of her stature,” Sengupta stated. ”Padma Shri is extra deserving for a junior artiste…,”she stated.
A number of outstanding personalities in Kolkata’s cultural circle on Wednesday criticised the Centre for providing just a Padma Shri award to Sandhya Mukherjee.
Eminent singer Kabir Suman, painter Subhaprasanna and others held a press convention in Kolkata and stated it was once not anything wanting a ”impolite jolt” to the 90-year-old icon who’s an inspiration to singers of various generations.
Later, BJP nationwide vice-president Dilip Ghosh stated it’s unlucky that the problem was once politicised.
”Some intellectuals just about (West Bengal Leader Minister) Mamata Banerjee are unnecessarily developing an argument over the transfer by means of the Centre to honour a number of personalities at the instance of Republic day.
”There was once no sick reason at the a part of Narendra Modi govt,” Ghosh stated.