Sukhbir Badal seeks Bharat Ratna for Master Tara Singh

Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bestow Bharat Ratna on iconic stalwart Master Tara Singh.

"It is an honour already long overdue and time has come to undo this wrong and acknowledge Master-ji's debt by bestowing the highest honour of the country on him," said Badal in a letter to the Prime Minister.

Badal described Singh's "contribution to the cause of our freedom and to keeping the West Punjab, including the present day Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, in India as unparalleled and decisive". "Without this geographical bridge, even Kashmir might have fallen prey to the greed of our Western neighbours," he said.

"If there is one Indian who truly deserves to be called Bharat Ratna, it is Master Tara Singh," Badal said.