Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him on Saturday and conveyed the news to him.  Lal Krishna Advani, the BJP stalwart who catapulted the party into national reckoning with his Rath Yatra for Ayodhya's Ram Temple in the early 1990s, has been conferred with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him  and conveyed the news to him. "I am very happy to share that Shri LK Advani Ji will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. I also spoke to him and congratulated him on being conferred this honour," PM Modi PM Modi, while announcing the honour for the veteran, said LK Advani's role in the development of India is monumental. He called him one of the most respected statesmen of India. "One of the most respected statesmen of our times, his contribution to the development of India is monumental. His is a life that started from working at the grassroots to serving the nation as our Deputy Prime Minister. He distinguished himself as our Home Minister and I&B Minister as well. His Parliamentary interventions have always been exemplary, full of rich insights," he added. Born in Karachi, LK Advani migrated to India after the Partition. He settled down in Bombay. He had joined the RSS in 1941 at the age of fourteen. In 1951, he became a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was founded by BJP icon Syama Prasad Mookerjee. The Jana Sangh was the political precursor to the BJP. Advani became the member of the Rajya Sabha for the first time in 1970. He served four RS terms till 1989. He first became the minister for information and broadcasting and leader of the house in Rajya Sabha in 1977, following the Janata Party's victory in the general elections.He is one of the founding members of the BJP. He served as the president of the party three times. In 1989, he became a Lok Sabha member for the first time. When the Atal Bihari Vajpayee formed a government in 1999, Advani served as the minister of home affairs and the deputy prime minister. In 2015, LK Advani was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour.