Former Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Refuses Padma Bhushan, Says ‘No One Told Me About It’

As the list of Padma awardees came out on Tuesday, one of the surprise names among the list of Padma Bhushan winners was former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. However, the veteran communist leader has refused to accept the award. Bhattacharya said he was not aware that he has been named for the Padma Bhushan and that he would reject it if it was true.

“I don’t know anything about a Padma Bhushan award. No one told me anything about it. If they have given me a Padma Bhushan award. I am rejecting it,” he said in a statement in Bangla.

Bhattacharya is currently very ill and bedridden. He has been a hardliner and had opposed the Modi government in several instances. The veteran communist has been in the highest body of politburo in the CPIM, which has always spoken against the saffron camp.

Meanwhile, an MHA official told News18 that Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla contacted Bhattacharya today to inform him about his Padma Bhushan award. His wife received the call and Bhalla informed her. Government sources said his wife gave no indication that the former Bengal CM didn’t want the award.

Sources further said the SoP for the Padma awards only talks about informing the recipients and not about taking their consent. However, in the past, names have been dropped from the list when the proposed recipient refused to accept the award over the phone. But in this case, no such indication about refusing to accept the award was given.

The CPIM, in a Twitter post, stated that the party’s policy has been consistent in declining such awards from the state. “Our work is for the people not for awards,” it added.

CPIM Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Bhattacharya earlier told News18, “This is bogus. As far as I know, this award will not be accepted by him.”

(With inputs from Arunima and Ankur Sharma)

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