The NDA Government has set the ball rolling for the Bharat Ratna Awards by placing orders for five medallions with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Names of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, hockey legend Dhyan Chand, Madan Mohan Malviya and Dalit leader Kanshi Ram are doing rounds even as Govern-ment remained tight-lipped on the issue.

According to a notification on Bharat Ratna on the MHA website, maximum three awards can be given in a year. However, an exception was made in 1994 when there were four recipients of Bharat Ratna — JP Narayan, Prof Amartya Sen, lokpriya Gopinath Bardoloi and Pt Ravi Shankar. In 2014, the awards were opened for sportspersons for the first time. Sachin Tendulkar was the first sports-person to be given Bharat Ratna.

“The Government has just placed the order for medallions. As per the norms, at the most only three Bharat Ratna can be given in a year. The two medallions are usually kept as spare,” said an official from Ministry of Home Affairs. It is believed that the Gover-nment may name Vajpayee for the award since the BJP has been for long demanding Bharat Ratna for this visionary leader.

Vajpayee is keeping a fragile health at this moment. Another name doing rounds is that of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who a section of BJP leaders, feel did not get his due recognition. In fact, the NDA Government in 1992 had announced Bharat Ratna for Bose, but it could not be conferred. While Bose’s family had objected to the award then, the Award had to be withdrawn by the Government following a Supreme Court directive in response to a PIl filed in the court as the Award Committee could not give a conclusive evidence of Bose’s death.

This time again the family has raised the red flag against any ceremonial recognition to Netaji. Krishna Bose, niece-in-law of Netaji, expressed “gratitude” to the Government “if at all this news is true”, but added, “leaders like Gandhiji and Netaji should be kept out of such schemes as they belonged to a different plane.”

Krishna Bose is the wife of late Dr Sisir Bose who had driven Netaji till Gomoh junction from Calcutta in his great escape from India and was the last family member to see him. “My husband also held the same view,” she said.

Bose’s grandnephew, Sugato Bose, a Trinamool Congress MP, said: “Keep Netaji out of partisan politics. His stature is bigger than Bharat Ratna. How can Netaji be given Bharat Ratna after Rajiv GandhiIJ Anyone with a sense of history will agree with me. Netaji and Gandhi are above Bharat Ratna. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a perfect candidate for Bharat Ratna, not Netaji. Don’t put forward Netaji’s name,” he said. Bose’s family argues that his stature is above any awards now. More so many feel that the recognition is coming too late now.

With the ambit of awards also including sportspersons now, the hockey versus cricket rivalry has erupted once again. The fact that the scope was award was widened last year to include legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand is well known. It is also known that last year Minister of State for Sports did officially recommend the hockey player’s name, before it was overruled by the UPA Government in favour of Sachin Tendulkar.

“I hope this Government takes the corrective measures and give the man (Dhyan Chand) his due. He is responsible for making hockey the national game. His birthday is celebrated as the National Sports Day. He was a player whom even Hitler hailed. So what stops India to recognise him as Bharat RatnaIJ” argued Dhyan Chand’s son Ashok Kumar, a former hockey player himself.

Former Union Minister Manish Tewari sought considering names of legendary freedom fighters including Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and lala lajpat Rai for Bharat Ratna. “If Government going the historical route on Bharat Ratnas it should also consider the names of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukdev, lala lajpat Rai...,” he said on Twitter.

Tewari also suggested names of founders of the INA Rash Behari Bose, Gen Mohan Singh, Annie Besant and AO Hume and Gopal Krishna Gokhle in his tweet. He also recalled litigations in early 1990s over conferring the highest civilian award.

Another Congress leader Rashid Alvi said Bose should be given the award and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands named after Netaji as he had brought freedom to the islands much before the mainland. He, however, said the awards should be announced only after the upcoming Assembly elections in four States, including Maharashtra and Haryana, to avoid any politics.