Ramnath Kumar, a two-time Rajya Sabha MP from JD(U) and son of Bharat Ratna awardee and former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur, is poised to join the Union Cabinet in the third Narendra Modi government. Karpoori Thakur was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna by the Modi government earlier this year.
A member of his family confirmed Thakur getting the ministerial berth, reports The Indian Express.
“We are overwhelmed with the honour. It is a double bonanza after Jannayak Karpoori Thakur received the Bharat Ratna earlier this year. It brings a sense of great responsibility for Ramnath Thakur to excel in the assignment he will be given,” said the family member.
A senior JD(U) leader said that Nitish Kumar was inspired by Karpoori Thakur’s ideology and governance approach, making Ramnath Thakur’s inclusion in the cabinet a strategic move to underscore the importance of Karpoori Thakur’s legacy. Ramnath Thakur’s appointment would resonate also strongly with the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) community in Bihar, thereby sending a powerful message of representation and empowerment, the leader said.
Hailing from Samastipur, Thakur has a rich political background, having served as a Bihar minister from 2005 to 2010. His political journey began in 1970 when he started assisting his father. However, he refrained from electoral politics initially as his father, Karpoori Thakur, had no intentions of promoting his son in the political arena. After Karpoori’s demise in February 1988, Ramnath ventured into electoral politics, securing victory as an MLA. Subsequently, he was nominated to the Upper House of the Bihar legislature in 1994.
Thakur’s electoral success continued as he triumphed in the Assembly elections of 2000, February 2005, and October 2005 from Samastipur, subsequently serving as the land and revenue minister. Despite a setback in the 2010 Assembly polls, where he narrowly lost, Thakur remained resilient.
He made a comeback by receiving a surprise nomination to the Rajya Sabha from JD(U) ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. His nomination was renewed in 2020.
Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi is set to take oath on Sunday for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government after two full tenures in which the BJP enjoyed a majority on its own.