English
New Delhi, Jan 26: On the eve of 68th Republic Day, the government announced Padma awards to 89 people from different walks of life. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was included in the Padma awards list, but his name was dropped at the last minute. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s name was dropped after the Mufti family indicated they were “not very keen” to receive the Padma award.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s name was dropped at the last minute because the Mufti family was “not very keen” to receive the Padma award. According to a report of the Indian Express, which quoted a Home Ministry official, Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to several awardees before their names were finalised and the list made public. Mufti family reportedly said they were “not very keen” to receive the honour. (ALSO READ: Winners list of Padma Awards 2017)
The PDP and a government official also confirmed Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s name was included in the Padma list. “His name was being considered along with names of Sundar Lal Patwa, former Chief Minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh who passed away in December 2016, and P A Sangma, former Lok Sabha Speaker,” an official was quoted as saying.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who changed political allegiance frequently between 1962 to 2016, became Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the second time in March 2015 after entering into an unlikely alliance with the BJP. Sayeed, who passed away in January 2016, was also a former Union Home Minister.
President Pranab Mukherjee has named 89 people – the shortest list in last five years – for the country’s top civilian awards, including seven Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri awards, on the occasion of country’s 68th Republic Day. Senior politicians Sharad Pawar, Murli Manohar Joshi and the late P.A. Sangma are among the seven recipients of the Padma Vibhushan award.
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