Karpoori Thakur, ‘Jan Nayak’ of Bihar politics, to be awarded Bharat Ratna

Patna: The late Karpoori Thakur, a two-time Chief Minister and “Jan Nayak” of politics Bihar, will be posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country. This announcement was made in a communique from Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday, coinciding with the birth centenary of the prominent figure in Bihar’s OBC (Other Backward Classes) politics.

Karpoori Thakur, who passed away in 1988, held the distinction of being the first non-Congress socialist leader to serve as Chief Minister twice. His first term lasted for seven months in December 1970, followed by a subsequent two-year tenure in 1977.

The communique stated, “The President has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Shri Karpoori Thakur (posthumously).” Thakur, affectionately known as ‘Jan Nayak’ (people’s leader), becomes the 49th recipient of this prestigious honour, with the last recipient being the late President Pranab Mukherjee in 2019.

Born on January 24, 1924, in the Nai samaj (barber society), Thakur is credited with initiating the total prohibition of alcohol in Bihar in 1970. The village of his birth in Samastipur district was renamed Karpuri Gram in his honour.

Thakur, who forsook college education to participate in the Indian freedom struggle, faced arrest between 1942 and 1945 during the Quit India Movement. Inspired by leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and closely associated with Jayaprakash Narayan, Thakur played a significant role in the socialist movement of post-Independent India.

His tenure as Chief Minister is particularly remembered for implementing the recommendations of the Mungeri Lal Commission, introducing quotas for backward classes in the state. This commission laid the foundation for the later-established Mandal Commission. Notably, the Mungeri Lal Commission introduced a separate sub-category named Most Backward Classes, serving as a template for the ‘ati pichhda’ platform championed by Nitish Kumar in later years.

The announcement by the Centre has been greeted by a moving tribute from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an expression of gratitude from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar whose JD(U) has planned a big rally to mark the birth anniversary on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this recognition is a testament to the socialist leader’s enduring efforts as a champion for the marginalised and a stalwart of equality.

In a post on X, Modi said, “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.”

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hailed the announcement and said it was a “fulfilment of an age-old demand” by his party JD(U) that will “send a positive message among deprived sections of the society”.

Thakur, who had two short-lived tenures as the Chief Minister, began his political activism as a young student during Quit India which caused him to spend several months in jail.

“His term in power may not have lasted for long. But, in those days, the rise to the highest seat of power was no mean feat for a person coming from a poor family and the extremely backward and numerically small caste Nai (barber)”, says veteran socialist leader and RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwary, whose late father Ramanand Tiwary had been one of the comrades in arms of Thakur.

Although Thakur initially took up a teacher’s job in a village school, he had always been interested in politics and showed promise when he emerged victorious in the first state Assembly election held in 1952, from Tajpur constituency, as a candidate of the Socialist Party, in times characterised by hegemony of the Congress.

Tiwary said, “Karpoori Thakur had been close to Jayaprakash Narayan, though later he also grew close to Ram Manohar Lohia. His leadership qualities were such that despite being from a so-called lower caste, he was respected by those hailing from the upper castes”.

The socialist leader rose to prominence in 1967, when the state saw its first non-Congress government headed by Mahamaya Prasad Sinha.

Thakur, who became the Deputy Chief Minister, also held the education portfolio, and is often remembered for doing away with English as a compulsory subject in schools.

“It was a very bold step. In a state like Bihar, proficiency in English did not come easy for a majority of students, more so for those coming from underprivileged backgrounds. Thakur had the sagacity to recognise this and the guts to make a move, which others would emulate in different parts of the country”, said Tiwary.

Thakur, whom incumbent Nitish Kumar and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad call their mentor, had his own first brush with the highest seat of power in 1970, which lasted less than a year.

Five years later, he returned as the Chief Minister upon formation of a government by the Janata Party, a motley group of outfits opposed to the Congress, which also ousted the party from power at the Centre, riding the public anger against the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi.

Tiwary said, “It is true that Thakur never enjoyed a full five-year term in power. The total duration of his two tenures as Chief Minister would come to less than three years. But his achievements have been far bigger than the statistical figure suggests”.

It was during Thakur’s reign that the Mungerilal Commission’s recommendations were implemented, introducing quotas for backward classes. The Most Backward Classes, now popular in political lexicon as ‘ati-pichhda’, were recognised as a distinct category during his time, Tiwary pointed out.

The RJD leader, who has also been with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in the past, underscores that the ban on alcohol, which the current Chief Minister counts on as one of his major achievements “was first experimented with in Bihar during Karpoori Thakur’s rule”.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, a Bharat Ratna for Thakur has been a long-standing demand of Nitish Kumar and he expressed a sense of fulfilment in the statement he gave upon receiving the news.

Thakur breathed his last in 1988 and although his son Ram Nath Thakur is a Rajya Sabha MP from the JD(U) headed by Kumar, the late leader is always remembered as someone untouched by the venality and nepotism many of his political disciples are accused of.

Kumar shares power with RJD president Lalu Prasad, who had succeeded Thakur as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly upon his death, which paved the way for his own rise to the top.

Both parties hope to cash in on the recent hike in quotas for deprived castes that followed a comprehensive caste survey and parallel functions scheduled on Wednesday to mark Thakur’s birth anniversary are expected to see posturing on these lines.

However, with the Centre agreeing to bestow the honour, the BJP, too is likely to aggressively pose as the real champion of the backward classes.

“It took Narendra Modi, a son of an ati-pichhda, to give Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur. Nitish and Lalu, despite having enjoyed clout with many central governments of the past, could never make it possible”, said senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.with agency inputs