Congratulating the Indian cricket team for winning the World Cup, Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday recommended to the Centre that batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar be conferred 'Bharat Ratna', the country's highest civilian award.
The motion congratulating the team and recommending Bharat
Ratna for Tendulkar was moved by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and supported by all parties.
"We recommend that Tendulkar be conferred with the Bharat Ratna for his contribution to sports," Chavan said before the house adopted the resolution unanimously. Noting that after 28 years, the dreams of 121 crore Indians has come true.
Chavan announced that the state government will honour players from Maharashtra Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan with a cash prize of Rs. one crore and a citation. Similarly, two members of the team's support staff Mayank Parekh (logistics manager) and Ramesh Mane (masseur) will be honoured with Rs. 50 lakh each.
He also congratulated the police and traffic department for ensuring an incident free World Cup final in Mumbai last Saturday. Leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse said Sachin was "God" of Cricket. "This achievement has not come easy for him and it has required 21 years of hard work and unblemished career.
Sachin is a complete team man despite frequent criticism that he plays for his individual records," he said. Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai demanded that Sachin be granted additional FSI for construction of gymnasium in his under construction bungalow at Bandra. "He is a sportsman and wants a gym constructed in his own home. He has not asked FSI for a disco or club. His request should be granted and if necessary rules should be amended," he added.