On July 19, 2017, Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions as a parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha. The award was given by the Vice President Hamid Ansari at a function organised by the Lokmat Media Group to honour distinguished Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, former Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
Other Awardees honoured at a function organised by the Lokmat Media Group
Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav also received the Lifetime Achievement Award as a Rajya Sabha
- The other awardees from the Lok Sabha included Revolutionary Socialist Party MP K. Premachandran (Best Parliamentarian), Congress leader Kumari Sushmita Devi (Best Woman Parliamentarian) and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi (Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian).
- The awardees from the Rajya Sabha included CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury (Best Parliamentarian), Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan (Best Woman Parliamentarian) and Congress MP Rajni Patil (Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian).
- The awardees were selected by a jury, headed by former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil.
- While announcing the awards, Patil said that the criteria included whether the parliamentarians followed the rules of procedures of the House.
About L.K. Advani:
Lal Krishna Advani is an Indian politician and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP).
- Advani began his political career as a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
- he served as Minister of Home Affairs in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government from 1998 to 2004. Additionally, he served as 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- He was the Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Lok Sabha and 14th Lok Sabha.
- In 2015, he was awarded the India’s second highest civilian honor – Padma Vibhushan.