The Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, will be posthumously bestowed upon veteran socialist and former chief minister Karpoori Thakur, as announced by Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. This announcement coincides with the eve of Thakur’s birth centenary and is expected to resonate particularly with Bihar’s OBCs, comprising 27.12% of the population according to a recent state caste survey. Thakur, known as a Jan Nayak (people’s hero), served as Bihar’s chief minister from December 1970 to June 1971 and again from December 1977 to April 1979. His passing occurred on February 17, 1988, and his son, Ram Nath Thakur, is presently associated with the JD(U) and serves as a Rajya Sabha member.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Thakur as a beacon of social justice and a great Jan Nayak in a social media post. Modi expressed delight in the government’s decision to confer the Bharat Ratna on Thakur during his birth centenary, citing it as recognition of Thakur’s enduring efforts as an advocate for the marginalized and a stalwart of equality and empowerment. Thakur’s tenure as chief minister notably witnessed the introduction of recommendations from the Mungeri Lal Commission on quotas for backward classes, a precursor to the Mandal Commission, emphasizing his commitment to social justice and empowerment.
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