SHIVAMOGGA: Former Chairman of the Legislative Council, D H Shankaramurthy, has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country, to senior BJP leader L K Advani. In a letter to the PM, Shankaramurthy said Advani should be given the honour considering his seven decades of social service to the nation.
“Advaniji’s loyalty, honesty and leadership qualities, depth of knowledge and upholding the pride of the nation in matters of international affairs were commendable,” said Shankaramurthy. “His role was exemplary in building the Jana Sangha and Bharatiya Janata Party from scratch,” he noted.Recalling his association with Advani, Shankaramurthy said he was fortunate to interpret the former’s speeches in Karnataka at public events for about 50 years, when he got a glimpse of the ideas and knowledge with which Advani took the party to its pinnacle.