President Droupadi Murmu today addressed the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day. “This is a period of epochal change,” President Murmu said in the televised address.

She acknowledged the contribution to society by former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, and also pointed to the consecration of the Ram Lalla temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya as a historic and an immensely significant moment for the country.

“I pay my tribute to Karpoori ji for enriching public life with his contribution,” the President said.

Karpoori Thakur, the two-term Bihar Chief Minister who died in 1988, has been named for the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna for his contribution to uplifting the poor and backward classes. During his political career, Karpoori Thakur was considered the guiding light of Other Backward Classes (OBC) politics in Bihar.

“Karpoori ji belonged to the backward classes and dedicated his life for their welfare,” President Murmur said.

I pay my tribute to Karpoori Ji for enriching public life through his contributions. pic.twitter.com/RebJqrnl8k

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 25, 2024

Soon after the announcement by the Centre, villagers of the ‘Karpoori gram’ in Bihar’s Samastipur district had met the family members of Karpoori Thakur and his elder son Ramnath Thakur, the Rajya Sabha MP from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) or JD(U).

Senior JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar had said Nitish Kumar had been requesting the Centre to honour Karpoori Thakur with the Bharat Ratna. “Although it came late, it is a welcome decision and will inspire the youth to take up his ideals,” Neeraj Kumar had said.

As for Nitish Kumar, all indication point towards him leaving the newly formed Opposition bloc INDIA. The Bihar Chief Minister will not join Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra when it enters the state on January 30, sources said today.

Nitish Kumar is, however, likely to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the Prime Minister visits Bihar to campaign for the BJP, ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

With the decision to not walk with Mr Gandhi, the Bihar Chief Minister whose Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), which is an ally of Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the ruling Bihar government, has given a subtle message that all is not well within the INDIA bloc.

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The survey of the Gyanvapi mosque has revealed the existence of a temple, complete with 34 inscriptions in various languages, which was remodelled into a mosque, the lawyer of the Hindu petitioners told the media today after receiving a hard copy of the survey report. The Varanasi district judge had earlier refused to make the report public immediately or distribute soft copies to avoid any distortion and spread of misinformation on social media in view of the sensitivity of the case. 

Gyanvapi is one of the several temple-mosque disputes that mushroomed in the country after the Ayodhya Ram Janambhoomi issue. The ASI report – submitted a month ago in a sealed cover — was distributed days after the consecration of the Ayodhya temple at a mega programme led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Late this evening, Vishnu Jain, the lawyer for the petitioners, read excerpts from the report at a press conference. The Archaeological Survey of India, during its survey, found a “pre-existing structure and a well next to the corridor”. 

The “Central chamber and the main entrance have a pre-existing structure.” 

The ASI, in its survey, “Studied the pillars and plasters and said all were part of the temple,” said Mr Jain, while reading out the ASI report. 

“34 inscriptions of Hindu temple were found and the inscriptions are in Devnagri, Granth, Telugu and Kannada. Names of deities Janaradana, Rudra and Umeshwara are found in inscriptions.” 

Reading from the report, he said, ‘Terms such as Maha Mukti Mandap are mentioned in inscriptions… pillars from an earlier temple were reused while making cellars.” The petitioners’ lawyer has said that they will ask for an ASI survey of Wazukhana.

The ASI had been surveying since August 4 last year on the Gyanvapi mosque premises. It has only left out the Wazukhana area, which was sealed by the order of the Supreme Court. 

The report is crucial to the decision in the case, in which the Hindu side contends the mosque has been built over a temple and demands the right to worship.