Former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur awarded the Bharat Ratna

New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday announced that this year's Bharat Ratna award will be given to Karpoori Thakur Ratna (posthumously). 

He was a former Bihar Chief Minister and was known for championing the cause of the backward classes.

He served as the Chief Minister of Bihar from December 1970 to June 1971 (Socialist Party/Bharatiya Kranti Dal), and from December 1977 to April 1979 (Janata Party).

Thakur served as a minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, before becoming the first non-Congress socialist Chief Minister of Bihar in 1970.

Like the present CM Nitish Kumar, he also enforced total prohibition of alcohol in Bihar.

This award assumes significance in the election year, especially when the BJP is going to the elections without Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) as an ally ‘as of now’.