Thiruvananthapuram: Former union minister O. Rajagopal deemed the Padma Bhushan award as a significant milestone in his life. Rajagopal said that he accepts the recognition with humility and sees it as God’s will.

This honour is awarded for an exemplary public life. Rajagopal said that he always tried to carry out his public life by viewing everyone with equality without any partiality. He was a lawyer before turning into a politician. People used to be surprised to hear the name of the Jana Sangh party and used to ask why not go to any other party. He worked steadfastly with the BJP, contested elections but lost. However, this did not disappoint him. Rajagopal said that the government’s decision should be a reward for this.