The Padma Awards are often met with two charges – one, that they have a political spin and two, that they go to those who are close to the Dilli Durbar. While the Modi government has countered the latter with its choices, the politics that flows through the awards is far from extinguished.
Barring the early years after they were instituted in 1954, the Padma Awards have annually met with twin charges one, that they have a political spin and two, that they go to those who are close to the Dilli Durbar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has, to a certain extent, changed the demographic base of the awards. Every year, this government underlines the fact that unknown and unsung achievers, not elites, have been handpicked as recipients of the awards. This has helped the awards earn the sobriquet of ‘People’s Padma’.
But has the political spin gone? The answer is certainly no. The awards may have become more inclusive but some bit of politics still flows through them.
For instance, in 2022, late BJP leader Kalyan Singh and Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad have been selected for the Padma Bhushan.
