Former Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur was awarded the nation’s highest honour, Bharat Ratna, posthumously by the President of India Droupadi Murmu this evening. The award comes 35 years after his death — Karpoori Thakur died on February 17, 1988.

Dubbed Jan Nayak by many in the state, Karpoori Thakur served as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a short while — from December 1970 to June 1971 and from December 1977 to April 1979.

The Centre’s recognition for the state’s first non-Congress Chief Minister meets a long-standing demand of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal United.

Coming ahead of the general election, it is seen a move to please the Chief Minister of a state that has 40 parliamentary seats.

Karpoori Thakur served as Chief Minister of Bihar twice in the 1970s – From December 1970 to June 1971 and from December 1977 to April 1979.
He had been a mentor to many current generation leaders of the state, including Nitish Kumar and his ally Lalu Prasad Yadav, the RJD president.
During his short stint as the Chief Minister, Karpoori Thakur imposed a total ban on alcohol in Bihar but this was resisted by Dalits whose employment was dependent on the toddy trade.
He was popularly known as Jan Nayak (people’s leader) – someone who devoted his life to socially backward communities in Bihar.
His tenure is also best remembered for implementation of the recommendations of Mungeri Lal Commission, whereby quotas for backward classes were introduced in the state, much before the 1990s’ Mandal Commission changed the national political contours.

A police case has been filed against Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders “with reference to wanton acts of violence” during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared on X this evening. This comes amid a huge political spat between the two leaders that escalated today after Mr Sarma directed the police to file a criminal case against the former Congress president “provoking the crowd”. “They are filing a case because there is fear in their mind,” was Mr Gandhi’s response.

The Assam Police has also filed a First Information Report or FIR against KC Venugopal and Kanhaiya Kumar.

The latest standoff began when Rahul Gandhi’s march reentered Assam From Meghalaya today. The yatra was denied permission to enter Guwahati thoroughfares and was instead asked to take the national highway bypassing the city.