President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday conferred Bharat Ratna on four eminent personalities, including two former Prime Ministers, Chaudhary Charan Singh and PV Narasimha Rao. Former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur and agronomist MS Swaminathan were also conferred with the country's highest civilian award

The central government had announced five names for the Bharat Ratna this year, which also included BJP leader LK Advani

Former PM Charan Singh's award was received by his grandson, Jayant Singh, and PV Narasimha Rao's award was received by his son, PV Prabhakar Rao

MS Swaminathan's daughter, Nitya Rao, received the award for her father and Karpoori Thakur's award was received by his son, Ram Nath Thakur

PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Congress leader and LoP Mallikarjun Kharge were present among other leaders on the occasion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the contributions of those conferred the Bharat Ratna on Saturday by President Droupadi Murmu, paying rich tributes to former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Charan Singh besides other luminaries

"Every Indian cherishes what PV Narasimha Rao Garu has done for our nation and feels proud that he has been conferred the Bharat Ratna. He worked extensively to further our country's progress and modernization. He is also known as a respected scholar and thinker. His contributions will forever be cherished," PM Modi said on X

The country's highest civilian award for Karpoori Thakur is a fitting tribute to a stalwart who dedicated his life to social justice and equality, the prime minister said