By IANS,
New Delhi : Former US president George W. Bush should be given Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, for his contributions to the India-US nuclear cooperation programme, a senior Congress leader said here Friday.
“Give Bharat Ratna to Bush. I don’t know what the rules are but I will officially do something,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award, given for the highest degrees of national service. This service includes artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as “recognition of public service of the highest order.” The honour, established on Jan 2, 1954, has been awarded to 41 persons, a list which includes two non-Indians and a naturalized Indian citizen.