Former Bihar Chief Minister Karpuri Thakur has been awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously by the Central Government.
The President’s Office announced the award a day before the birth centenary celebrations of Samajwadi leader Karpuri Thakur.
He was the Chief Minister of Bihar during the 1970s and did a lot of work on behalf of the downtrodden sections of the society. Karpuri, who fought in North India, is known as a pioneer of social justice.
Karpuri was deeply influenced by nationalist ideas during his student days. His political ideology was further shaped by ‘Lohia’ thought. It emphasized the empowerment of the downtrodden.
Aiming to ensure equal representation of Backward Classes in government services, Thakur in November 1978, in Bihar, the percentage of Backward Classes. 26 percent reservation was implemented. This set the stage for the Mandal Commission recommendations in the 1990s.
