New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for honouring former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur with Bharat Ratna. "Not only did the PM Modi honour 'Jannayak Karpoori Thakur, but also honoured 70 crore poor of the country," ANI quoted Shah as saying while addressing the 100th birth anniversary program of Karpoori Thakur.
Shah went on saying," On the 22nd, PM Modi did 'Ram Kaaj' and on the 23rd, he connected Lord Ram and the poor by doing 'Gareeb Kaaj'. On the 22nd, the dream of all the devotees of Ram that Ram Lalla should 'Virajmann' in the grand temple, was fulfilled and on the 23rd, the wish of poor, deprived, backward, Dalits, and tribals was fulfilled after 'Bharat ratna' was given to Karpoori Thakur".
Later, Shah also highlighted how the Prime Minister honoured the values of the Constitution by giving the country's highest civilian award to Karpoori Thakur.
Shah also mentioned that despite being born into a poor family, Thakur had a mentally strong personality, reported ANI.
This comes as a war of words erupted after the announcement of Bharat Ratna for Bihar's 'Jan Nayak' Karpoori Thakur posthumously. On Tuesday, Rastrapati Bhavan announced that Karpoori Thakur was chosen for the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, a day ahead of his birth anniversary. The announcement by the Centre was greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many BJP leaders.
However, the announcement received mixed reactions from political parties. A section of leaders called it an attempt to woo OBC voters in Bihar, whereas others hail the decision.
Today is the birth centenary of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji. Karpoori Thakur, who served as Bihar's Chief Minister in the 1970s, played a pivotal role in the implementation of quotas for backward classes in the state. His influence is evident in the political strategies of current leaders like Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad.