Chosen for the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna a day ahead of his birth anniversary, Karpoori Thakur has been the veritable “Jan Nayak” or people’s hero of politics in Bihar, whose legacy parties cutting across ideologies seek to claim. The announcement by the Centre has been greeted by a moving tribute from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an expression of gratitude from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar whose JD(U) has planned a big rally to mark the birth anniversary on Wednesday. Born in 1924 in a village in Samastipur district which has since been re-named after him, Thakur, who had two short-lived tenures as the Chief Minister, began his political activism as a young student during the Quit India which caused him to spend several months in jail.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday thanked the Narendra Modi government for conferring Bharat Ratna on his mentor Karpoori Thakur but taunted the ruling dispensation at the Centre for not acknowledging that the move followed his "relentless demands". At a rally organised by the JD(U) here on the 100th birth anniversary of late Karpoori Thakur, Kumar made it clear that the highest civilian honour was "fulfilment of only one of our many demands".
However, Nitish Kumar's edited tweet thanking Prime Minister for Bharat Ratna for Karpoori Thakur made tongues twist about his gharwapsi to NDA. India TV opinion poll 'Is the Modi government's decision to confer Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur a sign of Nitish Kumar joining hands with the BJP again?' was also on the same lines.
While 68 per cent said it was a clear indication of Nitish Kumar's yet another ditch to the alliance, 24 per cent were of the view that he will stick with the INDIA bloc. 8 per cent were undecided. 
