Congress raises questions but says nothing about honoring Karpoori

NEW DELHI: Considering that the Congress has made the caste census a central campaign topic in the last several months, it is surprising that the party did not respond to the announcement of the Bharat Ratna for the late Karpoori Thakur, leader of the backward class.

Senior office bearers also refrained from posting on social media about the matter, even though the party did not respond officially until late Tuesday night.
The award has caused political agitation in Bihar. RJD leader and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav shared his 2019 post in which he had expressed the desire for Thakur to get the highest prize, while chief minister Nitish Kumar greeted it as a fulfillment of his long-standing demand. Manoj Jha, the RJD MP, said that the establishment was forced to act due to an increase in “Bahujan” sentiments because “they” were alarmed by the caste census and the subsequent increase in the quota quantum.
Congress, the third pole of the governing alliance in Bihar, was noticeably silent. With his political history of switching sides, many questioned if the party was concerned that the award would be a sign that BJP was planning to wean JD(U) chairman Nitish Kumar away.
Leading Congressmen disregarded such JD(U) worries after Thakur’s award. But considering Kumar’s numerous outbursts in the INDIA alliance and the ongoing rumors in Bihar circles, partymen were not quite sure that he would not be taking a different path overall.