NEW DELHI, Feb. 12 -- When the Congress government headed by Manmohan Singh decided in 2013 to confer the highest national award, Bharat Ratna, on Sachin Tendulkar, many asked, "Why"? Some even complained to the Election Commission, challenging the government's decision because he was a member of the Rajya Sabha nominated by the Congress party. Many found it a political decision to win the votes of Sachin Tendulkar's fans. Later developments showed that Congress didn't reap any political mileage from the short-sighted decision.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his decision to honour L K Advani with the nation's highest award, many people asked the same question, "Why"? According to Wikipedia, Bharat Ratna is the highest civili...