Nitish Kumar pays respects to Karpoori Thakur on his delivery anniversary (File).
New Delhi:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will exit the state’s ruling Mahagathbandhan and, by extension the now-stuttering Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc, and re-ally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Celebration forward of the April/Might Lok Sabha election, sources instructed NDTV Thursday.
Information of a fifth U-turn by the Janata Dal (United) boss – who has flip-flopped between the BJP, the Congress, and/or Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal since 2013 – has triggered hypothesis over what led to the newest bounce. At (or close to) the highest of the record of possible causes is the BJP’s choice to award two-time former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur a Bharat Ratna – India’s highest civilian award.
Mr Thakur was an iconic socialist chief who was Chief Minister twice within the Seventies, and is credited with implementing the state’s contentious alcohol prohibition coverage. Nonetheless remembered right this moment as ‘jan nayak’, or ‘chief of the individuals’, Karpoori Thakur’s legacy stays a useful asset for political events right this moment.
He was additionally Nitish Kumar (and Lalu Yadav’s) mentor, and each had strongly advocated the award.
After the award was confirmed – Mr Modi did so on X and hailed Mr Thakur as “a champion for the marginalised and a stalwart of equality and empowerment” – Nitish Kumar thanked the Prime Minister. Considerably, he additionally took a potshot on the Congress; he mentioned he had petitioned each central authorities since 2007 (when the Congress was in energy) and it was solely the Modi authorities that responded.