The posthumous award of the Bharat Ratna to the late Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur has evoked pride in his family, particularly expressed by his granddaughter, Dr Jagriti. She conveyed her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the unprecedented honor bestowed upon her grandfather.
Thakur, a two-time Chief Minister of Bihar, known for his advocacy of reservation benefits for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), received India’s highest civilian award from the BJP-led Central government, a move perceived as a strategic outreach ahead of forthcoming general elections where caste dynamics are expected to play a significant role.
Karpoori Thakur, hailing from the Nai community, was born in 1924 in the village of Pitaunjhia, now named Karpoori Gram in Samastipur. He held a remarkable political career, winning elections consistently over 33 years. Thakur served as Bihar’s Chief Minister twice, first for a brief period in 1970 as the leader of the Socialist Party and then for nearly two years from June 1977 to April 1979 as the head of the Janata Party government.
Beyond his tenure, Thakur is best remembered for uniting backward castes into a formidable bloc and advocating for subdivisions within the OBC quota to uplift the most marginalized groups. Despite facing resistance within his own party, his dedication to socialist principles and social justice left a lasting impact. The timing of the award coincides with Bihar’s plans to celebrate Thakur’s legacy and the approaching 100th birth anniversary, turning the state into a focal point for social justice politics. The Congress party, while welcoming the Bharat Ratna decision, seized the opportunity to renew its call for a nationwide caste census, criticizing the Modi government’s motives as reflective of “desperation and hypocrisy.”
VIDEO | "It is a proud moment that I cannot express in words. The respect and honour granted by PM Modi and Amit Shah to my late grandfather have not been given before; it is a matter of pride," says late Karpoori Thakur's granddaughter Dr Jagriti on the socialist icon being… pic.twitter.com/eHU47seemT
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 24, 2024
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