Sonowal expresses gratitude to Modi for conferring Bharat Ratna on Hazarika

New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conferring the Bharat Ratna on late singer Bhupen Hazarika, saying it was a recognition of the contribution of the iconic balladeer to humanity.

Sonowal said Hazarika was a poet, music composer, singer, actor, journalist, author and filmmaker, all rolled into one and he took the rich folk heritage of Assam and interpreted it beautifully for the world through his songs. "Recognition of such a great personality by the Narendra Modi government was a reflection of the prime minister's affection towards Assam and the Northeast," Sonowal told reporters outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

The chief minister said he expressed gratitude to the central government on behalf of 3.3 crore population of Assam for conferring the highest civilian award to Hazarika. "It was a recognition of the contribution of the iconic balladeer to the humanity," he said. Sonowal said it was then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was instrumental in conferring the Bharat Ratna on Assam's first chief minister Gopinath Bordoloi in 1999. "After Vajpayee, Modi has won the heart of the people of Assam and the Northeast," he said.

Former president Pranab Mukherjee, late Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh and Hazarika were conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, on Thursday. President Ram Nath Kovind gave the award to Mukherjee, Hazarika's son Tej and Vikramjeet Singh, a close relative of Deshmukh, at a function held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.