State assembly wants Bharat Ratna for tree hugger Sunderlal Bahuguna

NEW DELHI: The Delhi assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution requesting the Centre to posthumously confer the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, to environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, a founding member of the Chipko movement.

Speaking on the first day of the Delhi assembly’s monsoon session, state chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said awarding Bahuguna a Bharat Ratna is not just Delhi’s demand, but of the entire nation.

“Today we are talking about such a great person, who was a visionary leader. In the 1960s and 70s, nobody used to talk about the environment. Nobody used to talk about trees. At that time, he gave the vision of saving our environment not just to our country but to the whole world. At just 13 years of age, he started social work and fought against untouchability. Like BR Ambedkar fought to allow entry of Dalits in temples, Bahuguna too did the same. He created hostels for them and even worked to reduce substance abuse. He even contributed to India’s freedom struggle,” he said.

Bahuguna, a native of Uttarakhand, died of Covid-19 aged 94 at a hospital in Rishikesh on May 21 this year.

A recipient of India’s secondhighest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, Bahuguna’s work revolved around the people’s rights over forests in the Himalayas.he transformed the spontaneous Chipko movement into a turning point in India’s forest conservation efforts by taking it to different parts of Uttarakhand

“In today’s time, grooms put up conditions, like getting a Mercedes or a house, to get married.

Bahuguna’s condition to get married was that his wife would have to live with him in rural areas and in an ashram. We all know about his Chipko movement. He travelled 5,000km across rural India. His life gives inspiration to the new generations. Bahuguna deserves the highest honour of Bharat Ratna. I feel the Bharat Ratna will be honoured if the award goes to Bahuguna,” Kejriwal said.

On July 16, the chief minister also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to award the environmental activist with a Bharat Ratna.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had announced in December last year that the Aam Aadmi Party plans to contest all 70 seats in the assembly elections in Uttarakhand next year.

His life has inspired new generations... I feel the Bharat Ratna will be honoured if the award goes to Bahuguna.

Delhi chief minister