The government’s decision to confer former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur with the Bharat Ratna is a testament to the socialist leader’s enduring efforts as a champion for the marginalised and a stalwart of equality, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Thakur was born in 1924 in one of the most backward sections of society- the Nai Samaj (barber community). He was a leader whose political journey was marked by his unwavering commitment to the marginalised sections of society.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan announced on Tuesday that Thakur will be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. Thakur, popularly known as ‘jannayak’, served as chief minister from December 1970 to June 1971 and from December 1977 to April 1979.

He died on February 17, 1988.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said he is delighted that the government has decided to confer the Bharat Ratna on “the beacon of social justice, the great Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur” and that too at a time when his birth centenary is being marked.