Referring to US President Joe Biden conferring the Medal of Freedom on a list of dignitaries, including billionaire philanthropist George Soros, former Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that he was offered a Padma Award for a bribe of Rs 1 crore during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2010.
Chandrasekhar stated that the bribe was offered in exchange for recognition of his work in the telecom sector.
This accusation emerged shortly after US President Joe Biden awarded the prestigious Medal of Freedom to a distinguished list of international figures, including billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Chandrasekhar’s claims, made on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), suggest that the process of conferring Padma awards under the UPA government was marred by such alleged bribery attempts.
The Padma awards, which are among India’s highest civilian honours, include the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, which acknowledge exceptional contributions across various fields such as arts, education, industry, literature, and science.
Chandrasekhar's comments were made on the heels of the Medal of Freedom ceremony, which honoured notable personalities like former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, and football legend Lionel Messi, among others.
As of now, no official response has been provided by members of the former UPA government in reaction to Chandrasekhar's allegations. Chandrasekhar, who has served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2006 to 2024, also held the position of Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology between 2021 and 2024. Additionally, he served as Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship during the same period.