“It is unfortunate that (some) people would completely misinterpret my public February 11 statement regarding the Bharat Ratna itself by sadly misrepresenting my view of it,” said Tej.Renowned singer and Bharat Ratna awardee Bhupen Hazarika’s son Tej, who had earlier criticised the Centre over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, alleging his father’s name was used for pushing it, said on Friday that he has been invited by the central government to receive the award and it was a “dreamlike privilege” to receive it on behalf of his father.
The Bill, passed in the Lok Sabha last month, was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha and hence lapsed.
“It is a tremendous honour, for me and my family to be invited by the GOI to accept the Bharat Ratna on behalf of my late father. It will be my dreamlike privilege to receive it for my father and his fans and followers everywhere,” Tej said in a message to The Indian Express.
He added, “As always, I will strive to follow in my father’s footsteps to work to bring light where there is darkness.”
Earlier this month, Tej, protesting the “painfully unpopular” Bill, put the government on notice saying that it was “actually undermining” his father’s “documented position” and “would in reality be in direct opposition to what Bhupenda believed in his heart of hearts”.
But in his Friday statement, Tej wrote: “It is unfortunate that (some) people would completely misinterpret my public February 11 statement regarding the Bharat Ratna itself by sadly misrepresenting my view of it.”
