Baba Ramdev wants Government to confer Bharat Ratna on Tendulkar

New Delhi, Apr 28 (ANI): Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev criticised the Congress party on Saturday for not conferring Sachin Tendulkar with Bharat Ratna and instead nominating him to the Rajya Sabha.

Baba Ramdev alleged that the ruling Congress Party nominated Sachin to the Rajya Sabha as they wanted to merely use him to defend itself against opposition attacks over a series of controversies.

"Confer Bharat Ratna on him (Sachin Tendulkar) but this (Congress) Party thought 'if we confer Bharat Ratna, how we will associate him with the party.' It is a political strategy not to confer Bharat Ratna to Sachin," Ramdev said in New Delhi.

He further said the reputation of the Congress-led United progressive Alliance (UPA) Government was at lowest ebb and politically it was a sinking ship.

"The reputation of this party is completely tarnished and I call it a 'sinking ship' politically. Millions of people hate this party. They (the Congress Party) used this ploy to associate themselves with Sachin and use him as defence against opposition's attack," added Ramdev.

Tendulkar was recently nominated for the Rajya Sabha along with veteran actress Rekha and industrialist turned social activist Anu Aga.

Earlier, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil approved the name Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the member of Rajya Sabha.

Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer and century maker in test and one-day international cricket. He is the first player to score a double century in ODI cricket.

In 2002, just 12 years into his career, Wisden ranked Tendulkar the second greatest Test batsman of all time, behind Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one-day-international (ODI) batsman of all time, behind Viv Richards. He was also a part of the 2011 Cricket World Cup winning Indian team. (ANI)