"He was a strong voice for the struggle of workers, laborers and small farmers’’ PM Modi says in an article on Karpoori Thakur

On the 100th birth anniversary of former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, the Central Government has announced to honor him with the country's highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remembering him as a public leader, wrote, "The personality of many people has an influence on our lives. The people we meet, the people we keep in touch with. It is natural for his words to have an impact. But there are some people who just by hearing about them you get impressed. For me, Jannayak Karpuri Thakur has been like that’’.

‘’I never got the opportunity to meet Karpoori ji, but I have heard a lot about him from Kailashpati Mishra ji, who worked very closely with him. The efforts made by Karpuri Babu for social justice brought a big change in the lives of crores of people. He belonged to the barber community, i.e. the most backward class of the society. Overcoming many challenges, he achieved many achievements and continued working for the upliftment of the society throughout his life’’ he said.

Jannayak Karpoori Thakur ji's entire life was dedicated to simplicity and social justice. Till his last breath, he remained deeply connected with the common people due to his simple lifestyle and humble nature. There are many such stories related to him, which are examples of his simplicity. People who worked with him remember how he used to insist that not even a single penny of government money should be used in any of his personal work.

A similar incident happened in Bihar during his tenure as CM. Then it was decided to build a colony for the leaders of the state, but they did not take any land for themselves. Whenever he was asked why he was not taking the land, he would just fold his hands politely. When he died in 1988, many leaders went to his village to pay tribute. Seeing the condition of Karpuri ji's house, tears welled up in his eyes as to how a person holding such a high position could have such a simple house.

As a person belonging to a backward class, I have learned a lot from the life of Jannayak Karpoori Thakur ji. Karpuri Babu has had direct and indirect contribution in the lives of many people like me. I will always be grateful to him for this. Unfortunately, we lost Karpoori Thakur ji at the age of 64. We lost him when the country needed him the most. Even though he is not among us today, as a person belonging to a backward class, I have got to learn a lot from the life of Jannayak Karpoori Thakur ji.