Samastipur:Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur was the "messiah of social justice" and he used his influence to help the poor and downtrodden.
Speaking at a function to celebrate the socialist leader's 101st birth anniversary at Karpoori Gram in Samastipur, Dhankhar said Thakur was a true statesman and left an indelible mark on the political landscape of Bihar.
"Karpoori Thakur was the messiah of social justice. He always believed in equality, fraternity, and justice for all. He used his influence to help the poor and downtrodden," Dhankhar said. The late leader was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna by the Union government last year.
"Karpoori Thakur was a true statesman… an exception and a man of the people. He is credited with developing the idea of social justice in the country. The government’s decision to award him the Bharat Ratna is a testament to his enduring efforts as a champion for the marginalised and a stalwart of equality and empowerment," the vice-president said.
Highlighting Thakur’s tenure as Bihar CM, Dhankhar said, "He ensured that education became accessible to those who had been historically marginalised. He removed English as a compulsory subject for the matriculation curriculum." He added that Thakur’s efforts were pivotal in setting the stage for reservations for the socially marginalised and downtrodden.
The VP also planted trees at the Gokhul Karpoori Phuleshwari Degree College campus in Samastipur and garlanded Thakur’s statue at Smriti Bhavan in Karpoori Gram. Earlier, Dhankhar was welcomed by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna before heading to Samastipur.
Union minister for agriculture, farmers’ welfare and rural development Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who also attended the event, was accorded a warm welcome by Choudhary.
Thakur, who passed away in 1988, was the first non-Congress socialist leader to serve as Bihar’s CM twice — first for seven months in December 1970 and later for two years in 1977. Known affectionately as ‘Jan Nayak’ (People’s Leader), Thakur is the 49th recipient of the Bharat Ratna.
