Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the latter might “claim full credit” for conferring the Bharat Ratna on former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur.
Addressing a rally organised by the JD(U) on the birth anniversary of the former Bihar CM, Nitish Kumar highlighted his relentless efforts for the highest civilian award for his political mentor.
पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री और महान समाजवादी नेता स्व॰ कर्पूरी ठाकुर जी को देश का सर्वोच्च सम्मान ‘भारत रत्न’ दिया जाना हार्दिक प्रसन्नता का विषय है। केंद्र सरकार का यह अच्छा निर्णय है। स्व॰ कर्पूरी ठाकुर जी को उनकी 100वीं जयंती पर दिया जाने वाला यह सर्वोच्च सम्मान दलितों, वंचितों और…
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) January 23, 2024
“Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur has been conferred with ‘Bharat Ratna’. We had been demanding ‘Bharat Ratna’ for him since 2007 till 2023 from every government including the previous Congress government and the present government But they had not done so. Now, they gave him a ‘Bharat Ratna’. I congratulate the PM and Central government for accepting our demand,” Nitish Kumar said.
Bihar CM said that PM Modi called late leader’s son Ramnath Thakur, who is presently in JD(U), but did not make an effort to make a call to him.
“I was told by Ramnath Thakur, my party colleague and the late leader’s son, that the Prime Minister had called him up after the announcement. The PM has not called me so far. It is possible that he may claim full credit for the move. Be that as it may, I thank the PM and his government for fulfilling a demand I have been raising since I assumed power in Bihar,” Kumar said.
#WATCH | Bihar CM & JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar in Patna says, “Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur has been conferred with ‘Bharat Ratna’. We had been demanding ‘Bharat Ratna’ for him since 2007 till 2023 from every government including the previous Congress govt and the present govt. But… pic.twitter.com/q3LLdJSsjs
— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2024
He further said that Karpoori Thakur “never tried to promote” any of his family members since he drew inspiration from late Karpoori Thakur who was known for strong moral values in public life.
“It was also Karpoori Thakur who inspired our commitment to the cause of Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes,” he added.
