Imagine how great that man was who headed booth Congress and Hindu Mahasabha at the same time, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday praising Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
"Pt. Malaviya worked in many organizations... Imagine how great he was that he headed both Congress and Hindu Mahasabha at the same time...Today you can't even imagine this," said Shah.
"Ravindra Nath Tagore called him the 'Man of great heart' and Mahatma Gandhi gave him the title of 'Mahamana' (great man)," he added.
Shah made the following comments while addressing a gathering at the 160th birth anniversary celebration of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.
Home Minister also said that Pt. Malaviya should have been conferred with Bharat Ratna soon after the independence.
"It is a matter of great sadness. Pt. Malaviya should have got Bharat Ratna soon after independence," said Shah. "When he received Bharat Ratna in 2014, many people said that Bharat Ratna was not needed," he added.
As for the Banaras Hindu University, I still believe that among all the achievements of Pt. Malaviya's life, the biggest achievement is the establishment of the Banaras Hindu University.
Malviya breathed his last on November 12, 1946, at the age of 84.
In 2014, he was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.
