Shiv Sena on Wednesday demanded Bharat Ratna for its founder Bal Thackeray, a day when the country’s highest civilian honour was bestowed on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and late freedom fighter and educationist Madan Mohan Malviya.
The party, a BJP ally, said while it was heartening to see that Vajpayee has been picked for the honour by the NDA Government, Thackeray, too, deserves the award. “Balasaheb was a man of great stature. Though it is very heartening to see that he (Vajpayee) will be conferred with Bharat Ratna, I feel that Bal Thackeray should also be given the same award. He worked tirelessly to bring together people from various walks of life. He ensured that poor people were given justice,” veteran Sena leader Manohar Joshi said.
