Jairam Ramesh for scrapping Bharat Ratna, Padma awards

 “If I become the prime minister for one day, I will abolish awards like Bharat Ratna and Padma awards which have led to many confusions over the years,” said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

Responding to a question from the audience at the keynote session on the last day of Ambedkar International conference here on Sunday, Ramesh said such awards should not be given to political personalities.

Acknowledging that announcement of posthumous awards had led to controversies with critics terming it a political gimmick, he said: “Even the award to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was not an exception. I think these awards create more problems than they solve.”
The former Union minister said a solution for the problem would be limiting the awards to musicians, civil society activists and social workers.

The senior Congress leader expressed his apprehension about the rise of the right wing in the last few years. “The RSS is hijacking Ambedkar even though they don’t believe in the Constitution. Ambedkar would not have approved of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing,” he said.

Asked about the political future of the Congress in Karnataka, Ramesh said the party will return to power without any outside support. “The best way to take on the BJP is to form regional alliances in states before taking the fight to the Centre. In Karnataka, however, we don’t need outside support to return to power,” he said.

The senior leader refused to comment on the issue of Kannada flag, which has led to a major controversy recently.