On 23rd January (Tuesday), the President of India announced Bharat Ratna for socialist leader Karpoori Thakur based on the recommendations of Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is India’s highest civilian award and it has been bestowed on the socialist leader posthumously. The announcement comes a day before his 100th birth anniversary.
Karpoori Thakur awarded the Bharat Ratna (posthumously).
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2024
He was a former Bihar Chief Minister and was known for championing the cause of the backward classes. pic.twitter.com/nG7H80SwSZ
Karpoori Thakur hailed from the Bihar state and had served as the state Chief Minister twice. He got the moniker 'Jan Nayak' during his career in politics.
Thakur served as the Chief Minister of Bihar from December 1970 to June 1971 (Socialist Party/Bharatiya Kranti Dal), and from December 1977 to April 1979 (Janata Party).
"The President has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Shri Karpoori Thakur (posthumously)," a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said a day before his 100th birth anniversary.
Karpoori Thakur's son Ram Nath Thakur is a Rajya Sabha MP from Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) party. When he was the state Chief Minister, Thakur had decided to implement the Mungeri Lal Commission report, which recommended the institution of reservations for Backward Castes in government jobs.
Thakur aligned himself with the All India Students Federation during his student years. His political philosophy was additionally shaped by the Lohia school of thought.
In November 1978, Karpoori Thakur implemented a 26% reservation for backward classes in Bihar, laying the groundwork for the later recommendations of the Mandal Commission in the 1990s. When he was the education minister, Thakur also abolished English as a compulsory subject at the matriculation level.
