Sports Ministry writes to Prime Minister's Office, requests Bharat Ratna for hockey legend Dhyan Chand

Delhi: The Sports Ministry has written to the Prime Minister's Office, requesting India's highest civilian honour ​Bharat Ratna for the hockey legend late Dhyan Chand.

It is not the first time that the Ministry has sought Bharat Ratna for Dhyan Chand, who helped India win three gold medals at the Olympics (1928, 1932, and 1936).

During the UPA rule in 2013, the Sports Ministry had chosen him for the honour over cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar.

However in the same year, it was eventually announced that Tendulkar will be the first sportsperson to receive the award, hours after he ended his illustrious international career.

Even in 2011, government did not consider the plea of 82 members of Parliament who backed Dhyan Chand for the recognition.

'The Wizard' is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time and singlehandedly popularised the game in India.

His birthday, August 29, is celebrated as the National Sports Day when the country's top athletes are awarded by the President of India.

"Yes, we have written to the Prime Minister about Bharat Ratna for Dhyan Chand. Conferring the honour posthumously will be a fitting tribute to his exceptional service to the country," Sports Minister Vijay Goel said as per PTI.

Asked whether Dhyan Chand, who passed away in 1979, should have got Bharat Ratna before Tendulkar, Goel said, "I would not want to get into this and it is not fair to comment about sportspersons of such legendary stature.

"You can't measure Dhyan Chand's achievements with any award. He is beyond that. As I said, Prime Minister will take the final call on this subject. He wants India to emerge as a sporting power and that is why he has been giving a lot of emphasis to sports. We want him to consider this. We feel Bharat Ratna to Dhyan Chand will not only give a huge boost to Indian hockey but also to other sports," said Goel.

The Ministry decided to write to the Prime Minister earlier this week.

Last year, former India captains Ashok Kumar (Dhyan Chand's son), Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal, Dilip Tirkey were among a 100 former players who sat on a protest on Dhyan Chand being repeatedly ignored.

Former captains Singh, Iqbal, Tirkey and Kumar had gathered at Jantar Mantar on August 28 to demand Bharat Ratna for the legend. 

"We have all gathered here in the hope that dada Dhyan Chand gets the honour which is long overdue. But we can only hope that he gets it. It is the political will that matters. The same was the case when Sachin Tendulkar was conferred with the honour (in 2014). It makes no difference to his stature, whether dada (Dhyan Chand) gets the award or not. But he should get it as he is most deserving for the recognition," Iqbal had told PTI on August 28, 2016.

And , Ajit Pal, who captained India to victory in 1975 World Cup, had said then that Dhyan Chand should have been the first sportsperson to get the honour.

"People world over know him. He is known as a wizard of hockey and we have heard so many stories about him. If any sportsperson deserves the honour, it is him. He should have been the first one to get it. He played and won gold medals when India used to travel on bullock carts, there was extreme poverty. His sacrifice for the game is huge. The earlier governments erred in not giving him the award. I hope this government rectifies this mistake," he had said.

On Tendulkar getting the recognition ahead of him, Pal had added, "I don't want to compare any sportsperson with him. Dhyan Chand played when we were still under British rule. The rewards that you see nowadays for winning medals were not there at that time. It was an era where one played for the applause and not for monetary benefits because there were none. I hope he is not disrespected anymore and gets what is long overdue." 

(With Agency inputs)