Former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, January 23: President Droupadi Murmu announced award of India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna for former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur. The announcement came a day ahead of the 100th birth anniversary of Thakur, who is widely known as Bihar’s foremost icon of social justice.
The current generation of the political leadership of Bihar professes allegiance to Thakur. He twice became chief minister of Bihar. Besides, he was the first chief minister of Bihar from outside the Congress.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a rich tribute to Thakur after the Rashtrapati Bhavan made the decision public to award the former Bihar Chief minister posthumously with Bharat Ratna. Modi in a message posted on the social media platform X said: “I am delighted that the Government of India has decided to confer the Bharat Ratna on the beacon of social justice, the great Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji and that too at a time when we are marking his birth centenary. This prestigious recognition is a testament to his enduring efforts as a champion for the marginalized and a stalwart of equality and empowerment.”
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar claims to be a protégé of Thakur. On several occasions, Kumar has recalled that Thakur didn’t build any property assets for himself as he lived a simple life of austerity. His children are said to have not inherited any house after the demise of Thakur.
The top political icons of Bihar of the 1990s such as Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Ram Vilas Paswan had staked claims on the political legacy of Thakur. The former Bihar Chief Minister had also been jailed during the freedom struggle movement.
Thakur’s son Ram Nath Thakur is a Rajya Sabha MP from the ranks of the Janata Dal (United). Political commentators are now spotlighting the social background of Thakur, who hailed from the ‘Nai (barber)’ caste, which is counted among the extremely backward castes.
Modi added in his message: “His unwavering commitment to uplift the downtrodden and his visionary leadership have left an indelible mark on India’s socio-political fabric. This award not only honours his remarkable contributions but also inspires us to continue his mission of creating a more just and equitable society.”
The decision has come at a time when Bihar politics is building intense suspense on the likely alignments of the political parties for the Lok Sabha elections. Kumar has declined to be the convener of the Opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental and Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Besides, the incumbent Bihar chief minister has gained a notoriety of changing flanks ahead of the major elections.
Additionally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing an uphill task in Bihar ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Bihar is known as a state for the politics of social justice, and the BJP’s principal poll plank of Hindutva hasn’t paid rich dividends in the past when the party fought elections without Kumar’s party as an ally.
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