In a sarcastic response, Nitish Kumar said that those asking for Bharat Ratna now to Congress and BSP Chief should have conferred the honours when they were in power.
"Sab logon ko maang karne ka adhikar hai. Unn logon ke paas pehle sarkar thi, aaj maang kar rahein hai. Pehle hi dilwa dete (Everybody has the right to demand. They were in power earlier, but they are demanding now. They should have given it ," Nitish Kumar was quoted by news agency ANI.
Senior Congress leader and former CM of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat on Wednesday demanded the highest civilian honor for both the female leaders for their work towards the upliftment of women in India.
READ | WhatsApp Privacy Policy Update: Accept It Or Account Will Be 'Deleted'
Rawat took to Twitter, and in a series of tweets said that Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati are bright political personalities and have worked for the upliftment of women in the country.
"Honourable Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati are bright political personalities. You may agree or disagree with their politics, but you cannot deny the fact that Sonia ji has imparted a new glory to the standards of pride, social dedication and service of Indian women. Mayawati has, for years, instilled confidence in the minds of the oppressed. They both should be honoured with Bharat Ratna this year," Rawat said in a series of tweets.
Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award is given to people for exceptional service in Art, literature and science, and public service. In the year 2019, former President Pranab Mukherjee, RSS ideologue Nanaji Deshmukh, and playback singer, lyricist, musician, singer, poet, and film-maker Bhupen Hazarika were awarded the Bharat Ratna for their exceptional contribution in their respective fields of work.