Caste survey forced Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on Karpoori: Tejashwi

Deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday expressed happiness over the decision to confer Bharat Ratna on former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur but said the Centre’s move indicates how the BJP is under pressure after the caste survey conducted by his government.

Talking to reporters before attending RJD’s event to mark Karpoori Thakur’s 100th birth anniversary at S K Memorial Hall in Patna, the deputy CM said, “The demand for conferring Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur, who championed the cause of the oppressed, dalits and weaker sections, was being made for long by RJD chief Lalu Prasad, CM Nitish Kumar and other socialists. The decision will be seen politically. The caste curvey conducted by our government revealed the big number of EBCs and the government of India was compelled to take the big decision,” Yadav said.

He said it would have been good had the Centre also given Bharat Ratna to Kanshi Ram, founder of Bahujan Samaj Party.

Later, addressing the gathering to mark the birth anniversary of Thakur organised by the RJD, the deputy CM urged people to stay united to fight the BJP in the upcoming parliamentary polls. “The RJD chief has never surrendered to BJP. I will too never do it,” he said.

At the event, RJD chief Prasad also paid rich tributes to Thakur while remembering his long association with him.

The RJD chief said the Mandal Commission report was implemented during the tenure of Prime Minister V P Singh government at the Centre as part of their commitment for uplift of the downtrodden and backward classes, which was in sync with the ideals and principles of Thakur.