Bhattacharya is 'Azad, not Ghulam': Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday made a veiled attack on party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad for the latter being awarded Padma awards, PTI reported.

Mentioning West Bengal former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who declined the award, Ramesh tweeted that Bhattacharya did the right thing. He added that the former CM wants to be 'Azad, not Ghulam.'

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest award, for his contribution to public affairs. He was one in the group of 23 who were critical of Congress leadership and demanded an organizational refurbishment.

CPIM leader Bhattacharya said in a statement that he was rejecting the Padma Bhushan award after it was announced. He said that he knew nothing about the prize and no one had told him regarding the same.

Meanwhile, officials from the Union Home Ministry said that they had informed Bhattacharya's wife about the government's decision to give him the award, and none of the family objected to it.