By: Rajini KG
November 30 2022
False: Atal Bihari Vajpayee government awarded Bharat Ratna to BR Ambedkar.
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
BR Ambedkar received the Bharat Ratna award on March 31, 1990, under VP Singh's government. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became prime Minister in 1996.
Claim ID a1a30b13
Context
A post related to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and BR Ambedkar is circulating on Facebook, claiming that, "Bharat Ratna was given by the Vajpayee government. Many political parties are now playing Ambedkar on contract. But Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government had to come to award Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar. The rights and duties of the constitution give us a vision of life. Everyone should recite the Preamble of the Constitution." It also claims that BL Santosh made this statement. Bommarabettu Laxmijanardhana Santhosh is an Indian politician from Udupi in Karnataka. Currently, he is a National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party. This post has been circulating since 2019.
However, the claim is false. BR Ambedkar was awarded Bharta Ratna under VP Singh's government. There is no evidence of BL Santosh making this statement.
In Fact
According to the list of recipients of the Bharat Ratna published by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar received the Bharat Ratna award, the highest civilian award in India, in 1990, posthumously. The award recognizes exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavor without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri became the first individual to be honored posthumously in 1966.
According to a Hindustan Times report, On March 31, 1990, BR Ambedkar received the Bharat Ratna award. Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891, in Mhow, which is now in Madhya Pradesh. He made significant contributions to the drafting of the Constitution of India.
The list of former prime ministers published by the Prime Minister's Office shows that Vishwanath Pratap Singh (VP Singh) was a prime minister in 1990. He held office from December 2, 1989, to November 10, 1990, and founded the political party Jan Morcha in 1987.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister of India in 1996. His first term started from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996. His second term was from March 19, 1998, to May 22, 2004. Therefore it confirms that BR Ambedkar was conferred Bharat Ratna during VP Singh's tenure, not during Vajpayee's tenure.
The Verdict
The Bharat Ratna award was given to BR Ambedkar in 1990 under VP Singh's government. Therefore we have marked this claim as false.