Himachal Assembly passes resolution seeking Bharat Ratna for Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a historic resolution recommending that the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, be conferred on Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar, the first Chief Minister and widely regarded as the architect of Himachal Pradesh.

The resolution, moved on a Private Members’ Day by Nahan Congress MLA Ajay Solanki, was adopted by voice vote and will now be forwarded to the Central Government for further action.

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Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, replying on behalf of the government, said there could be no more deserving name for this honour than Dr. Parmar, who not only gave Himachal its statehood but also a distinct identity.

“If Dr. Parmar had not been there, Himachal too would not have existed,” he said, adding that the Assembly, being the highest forum of the state, had sent out a powerful message by passing this resolution.

Agnihotri described Parmar as a visionary who prioritized roads for development, brought in progressive land reforms, and ensured that the state’s culture and land were safeguarded through measures like Section 118 of the Land Ceiling Act.

Ajay Solanki, while presenting the resolution, said Parmar laid the foundation of a modern and prosperous Himachal and put the state firmly on the path of progress. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan noted that when Parmar was in office, the state’s budget was only Rs 85 crore, compared to today’s Rs 58,000 crore, and credited him for taking the state forward in electricity, horticulture, and tourism. Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, Education Minister Rohit Thakur, and several other members highlighted Parmar’s role in championing the rights of the poor, tribals, and hill communities.

Opposition Leader Jai Ram Thakur supported the resolution, stressing that though the demand should have been raised much earlier, his party fully backed it, as Parmar’s contribution to Himachal was unparalleled. Several MLAs recalled his simple lifestyle, his refusal to treat power as a privilege, and his vision of Himachal as a model for hill state development.

Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania thanked the House for rising above politics on such an important issue, remarking that while the demand had been delayed, “better late than never.”

He expressed hope that the Central Government would honour the Assembly’s recommendation and confer the Bharat Ratna on Dr. Parmar, a leader remembered not only as the founder of Himachal but also as the guardian of its culture, pride, and identity.