Bihar Grand Alliance: The ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar seemed split on Tuesday over whether to honor the deceased former chief minister Karpoori Thakur, also known as Jannayak, with India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, after his passing.

The RJD and the Bihar Congress said that the decision was politically motivated with an eye on the approaching Lok Sabha elections, while JD(U) expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi.

CM Nitish Kumar of JD(U) took the initiative and expressed his satisfaction with the outcome. “The highest civilian honor given to late Karpoori Thakur ji on his 100th birth anniversary will create positive sentiments among the Dalits, deprived and neglected sections,” Nitish told reporters on Tuesday.

He declared that he had long supported giving the communist leader the Bharat Ratna.

JD(U) leader and minister of social welfare Madan Sahani greeted PM Modi and expressed his sincere gratitude for the choice.

RJD praised the action, claiming “political compulsions” were behind it. Shakti Singh Yadav, the chief spokesperson for the RJD, stated: “Our MP Manoj Kumar Jha brought up the matter in Parliament, although our leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had made the demand. BJP made this decision under political pressure because it was terrified of our persistent requests.”

Congress applauded the decision as well, but they also noted that it was seen as a politically motivated action. Senior Congressman Tariq Anwar stated: “Karpoori-ji deserves that honor, but it’s evident that the decision was made with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in mind.”

Prem Chandra Mishra, an AICC media panelist and Congress MLA encouraged the BJP to adopt Karpoori Thakur’s ideas, accusing them of playing politics during an election year. Mishra praised Thakur as an outstanding leader who accomplished a “tremendous job in the field of social justice”.

The decision made by the BJP is anticipated to affect politics, as political parties compete to celebrate the centenary of the late Thakur’s birth. Thakur belonged to the extremely backward caste (EBC). After a recent caste study in Bihar revealed that EBC voters made up 36% of the population, parties are trying to win over these people.

SOURCE: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/bihar-grand-alliance-divided-over-bharat-ratna/articleshow/107093387.cms