Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday said he was not aware that he had been named for India’s third-highest civilian honour – the Padma Bhushan – and he would reject it if it were so.
“I don’t know anything about a Padma Bhushan award. No one told me anything about it. If they have given me a Padma Bhushan award. I am rejecting it,” he said in a brief statement in Bengali.
Anindo Chatterjee refuses Padma Shri Award: The tabla maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee has refused to accept Padma Shri award that was offered to him by the Indian government since the artiste believes that he deserves a Padma Bhushan, given his illustrious career where has performed with the best of personalities from the world of classical music. He is a recipient of the President Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademy Award, both of which he received from former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Mr Chatterjee, renowned as the director of the Farrukhabad style of tabla, told The Statesman that he received a call from the Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) informing him that he would be conferred with Padma Shri on Republic Day. Chatterjee said he was disheartened and felt insulted by the decision and has hence refused to accept the award.