Nitish urges Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on Karpoori Thakur

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today urged the Centre to confer "Bharat Ratna", the highest civilian award in the country, on late socialist leader Karpoori Thakur.
Kumar made the demand while addressing a function here to mark birth anniversary of the veteran socialist leader Karpoori Thakur.
"We had sent a proposal to the Centre for conferring Bharat Ratna in the past. We are going to send a fresh proposal", Kumar was quoted, in an official release.
"Thakur had introduced reservation in Bihar while he was the Chief Minister and his tenure came to an abrupt end on account of the same....quotas are important as these inspire the backward classes to educate themselves", Kumar said.

In an apparent reference to the conviction of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad in yet another fodder scam case, the Chief Minister said "I have never commented on a judicial verdict. I have always followed maryada (decorum)".
The JD(U) national president also advised party spokespersons "we should devote 90 per cent of our time on fulfilling the party's promise of nyay ke saath vikas (development with justice). Only the remaining 10 per cent time may be devoted to other things".
Kumar also deplored "unsocial things appearing on the social media" and remarked, "people not having basic knowledge of politics make all sorts of comments on the social media".

The function was aalso attended, among others, by JD(U) state president Bashishth Narain Singh and state ministers Bijendra Yadav, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Madan Sahni, Kapil Deo Kamat and Shailesh Kumar.