All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi has courted fresh controversy with his remark that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should not have been conferred the Bharat Ratna.
Speaking at a book launch function in Hyderabad on Sunday night, Owaisi said the reason was Vajpayee had given a speech on the Ayodhya issue with communal overtones.
He also objected to the conferment of the Padma Vibhushan on L K Advani on the grounds that he was involved in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
The remarks invited sharp reaction from the BJP, with Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi saying that apparently some people want Osama Bin Laden honoured with an award.
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