Former Chief Minister of Bihar, Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur, was conferred with the nation’s highest honor, the Bharat Ratna. A ceremony was held at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi on Saturday, where five eminent personalities of the country were honored. It was a historic day for Bihar as well, as the late CM Karpoori Thakur was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, received by his son and JD(U) MP Ramnath Thakur from President Draupadi Murmu. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and both Deputy Chief Ministers were also in attendance at the event. A total of 5 dignitaries were honored.
Bihar’s CM and Deputy CMs also attended the ceremony
When Karpoori Thakur was honored with the Bharat Ratna, Bihar’s current Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was also present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan ceremony. Both Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar, Raja Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, participated in this event. Other leaders, including Chirag Paswan, also attended the ceremony.
#WATCH Delhi: Ramnath Thakur, son of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur, said, “I am very pleased… the Indian government has recognized his work and awarded him this honor… I express gratitude on behalf of the entire nation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” pic.twitter.com/0sxwk8wF7y
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) March 30, 2024
Announcement made a day before his 100th birth anniversary
The announcement to confer the Bharat Ratna upon Karpoori Thakur was made a day before his 100th birth anniversary, on January 23, 2024, by the President’s office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and other leaders welcomed the decision. Karpoori Thakur’s contributions are always remembered. Leaders from both sides of the aisle have welcomed the decision to award him the Bharat Ratna.
#WATCH Delhi: President Murmu confers Bharat Ratna award on former Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
His son Ramnath Thakur received the award. pic.twitter.com/dOEwgBsB2g
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) March 30, 2024
Karpoori Thakur’s Political Journey
Karpoori Thakur is often referred to as Jan Nayak due to his simple lifestyle and untainted political journey. He belonged to the Nai community. Karpoori Thakur served as the Chief Minister of Bihar twice and once as Deputy Chief Minister. He never lost any assembly elections in his political career. After the end of the Emergency, he contested the 1977 Lok Sabha elections from Samastipur constituency for the first time and defeated the Congress candidate by over 3 lakh votes. His record victory margin remains intact to this day. However, he lost the 1984 general elections. Even during the wave of sympathy following the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, he gave a tough fight to the Congress candidate.
Five Dignitaries Honored with Bharat Ratna
Apart from Karpoori Thakur, former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh, Narsimha Rao, and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan were also honored with the Bharat Ratna. According to reports, Lal Krishna Advani will receive this honor at his residence. It is worth noting that this honor was conferred posthumously upon all four dignitaries.
