New Delhi: Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Hyderabad and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday mocked the 'Bharat Ratna' and said that India's highest civilian honour is a club of Brahmins and of those who belong to upper castes.
"Bharat Ratna has become an exclusive club of the Brahmins and the upper caste," AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, while addressing the Lok Sabha on the sixth of the Budget Session of the Parliament.
Owaisi claimed that the selection process to choose winners for India's highest civilian award was never "transparent."
Owaisi referred to the Bharat Ratna awarded to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya to make his point about the prestigious award being awarded to only upper caste people. He stated that Upadhyaya faced charges of forgery and was yet awarded the Bharat Ratna.
Last month as well, Owaisi had questioned the Centre over the choice of the highest civilian award.
As per ANI, the AIMIM chief asked "How many dalits, adivasi, muslims, poor, upper caste or Brahmin have received Bharat Ratna till now?" He also claimed that the Bharat Ratna was not awarded to Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar "willingly" but was given out of necessity.
The Centre had recently announced Bharat Ratna for late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, late singer Bhupen Hazarika and former President of India Pranab Mukherjee.
