New Delhi: Veteran BJP leader L K Advani on Thursday said it would have been an honour for the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had the erstwhile UPA government conferred Bharat Ratna on Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He termed Vajpayee's tenure as "most outstanding" if one makes the balance sheet of all the Prime Ministers of India.

"One can't forget the 'betrayal by China' during first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's regime while splitting Pakistan by forming Bangladesh was the 'achievement' of Indira Gandhi's tenure, but it was fearful how democracy was brought to the verge of finish during her tenure," Advani said.

Terming Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) as "Man making machinary", the veteran leader said whatever he has been able to achieve so far was because he came into contact with RSS leaders and also working closely with Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"I had written to Manmohan Singh while he was Prime Minister saying that Atalji should be conferred on Bharat Ratna. I still have the reply which just says that my letter reached him. He just acknowledged. My letter was written during January 2008.

"I had given ten reasons why Atalji should be given the award. But he did not give. I believe that if he had given it, it would have not only honoured Atalji but Manmohan Singh too would have been honoured," Advani said during the release of a book 'Humare Atalji' here. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and educationist Madan Mohan Malviya were chosen for the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna.

Referring to one of his blogs, Advani said if one makes the balance sheet of 14 Prime Ministers which India has got, Vajpayee's tenure was the most "outstanding".

"I had written in my blog, in India there have been 14 Prime Ministers. If one makes a balance sheet of the 14, what achievements they had and what damages happened, in that balance sheet if someone's tenure is outstanding, in whose tenure there was no damage, it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee...," he said.

Source: IBN