Decoding Bharat Ratna for Karpoori Thakur and impact on Bihar politics

Tribune Web Desk

Vibha Sharma

Chandigarh, January 24

The fact is every decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government comes with a surprise element and loadedwith multiple political messages.

It is also not wrong to assume that many in the newer generations may have hit the ‘search’ button after the announcement by the Rashtrapati Bhavan that the socialist icon Karpoori Thakur was being awarded Bharat Ratna Ratna posthumously.

The announcement of the highest civilian honour has revived the memories of the two-time chief minister of Bihar and a pioneer of the social justice movement in north India, who also mentored some of the biggest names in Bihar politics, including RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav, LJP’s Ram Vilas Paswan and JD-U’s Nitish Kumar.

BJP’s strategic move

The announcement marks a strategic move ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, say observers.

Belonging to EBCs, Thakur became Bihar’s tallest backward caste leader with the distinction of becoming the first non-Congress socialist leader to hold the top post (first for a few months in December 1970 and later for two years in 1977) in the state.

Born on January 24, 1924, in the ‘Nai’ (barber) community, Thakur actively worked for the rights of marginalised communities—SCs, STs and OBC—and combating social discrimination and inequality in the society. Also known for personal integrity, Thakur is credited with implementing a complete ban on alcohol in 1970 and representation and opportunities for backward classes

Social justice and inclusive development formed the core of the political ideology of Thakur, also known as ‘Jannayak’, say observers.

His village in Samastipur district was named Karpuri Gram in his honour but over the years Thakur faded from public memory with the emergence of next-gen socialist leaders like Lalu Prasad and Paswan, who also belonged to numerically stronger backward and scheduled castes.

Bihar and its 40 Lok Sabha seats

The bottom line is that the BJP is hoping to politically impact Bihar—the state that sends as many as 40 members to the Lok Sabha.

The rush to take credit by the ruling Grand Alliance proves that the impact had been made.

While JD (U) thanked PM Modi, alliance partners RJD and Congress called the decision “politically motivated with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections”.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U)said the highest civilian honour for Thakur “will create positive sentiments among the Dalits, deprived and neglected sections”, adding that he had long advocated for Bharat Ratna for him.

RJD welcomed the move but suggested “political compulsions”. Congress too welcomed the decision, calling it a “politically motivated move” by the BJP in the election year.

Bihar deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said their long pending demand had been fulfilled

“We have been demanding this for a long time. We are really happy that our former CM has been awarded with Bharat Ratna. Its impact will also be seen politically. The government of India was forced to take this decision after we conducted the caste census”, he was quoted as saying.

The caste cauldron of Bihar

The honour has revived political interest in Thakur, a leaderknown for the struggle to ensure dignity and uplift of the most disadvantaged sections of society, say observers.

“EBCs comprise 36% of the population of the state and every politicalparty is aiming for support of backward classes. It may also be the beginning of achieving a common ground between BJP and Nitish Kumar and maybe forming an alliance. BJP is hopeful of support of a large number of backward castes. Individually, they may not be so strong but as a bloc they can outnumberdominant backward castes like Yadavs,” explain observers.

EBCs include Muslims, which may be another cause of worry for RJD which thrives on the M-Y support base.

Notably, the caste survey carried out by the JD-U-RJD government in the state revealed that Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constitute 36.01 % and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) 27.12% of the population in Bihar.

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