Karpoori Thakur’s Legacy Turns Bihar Into Poll Battleground As Parties Trade ‘Jan Nayak’ Claims | Elections News

Karpoori Thakur, born in 1924, served as the chief minister of the state twice in the 1970s and is credited with introducing alcohol prohibition and championing social justice reforms. (Getty)

The battle for the legacy of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur has escalated into a political free-for-all with less than 10 days to go before Bihar votes. The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Samajwadi Party—all members of the opposition INDIA bloc—along with the BJP are trading claims over the revered title ‘Jan Nayak’ (people’s leader), a name historically reserved for Thakur who was Bihar’s first non-Congress chief minister.

The row was triggered after Congress called Rahul Gandhi the “Jan Nayak of Bihar”, a move seen as an attempt to stir voter sentiment ahead of elections next month. The RJD followed suit by projecting Tejashwi Yadav under the same title, while the Samajwadi Party’s Lucknow (Central) MLA Ravidas Mehrotra declared that “Akhilesh Yadav is the ‘Jan Nayak’.”

The branding, however, did not find unanimous acceptance even within the RJD as the party’s national general secretary, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, said: “It will take him time to become a ‘Jan Nayak’,” referring to Tejashwi Yadav. While his restrained remark was meant to acknowledge Yadav’s growing stature, it quickly gave the BJP an opening to strike.

BJP spokesperson CR Keswan took to X to say: “Tejashwi Yadav’s very own RJD leader categorically rejects & refuses to accept the term Jan Nayak being used for him.” He added: “This exposes the hollow, bankrupt politics of RJD-Congress. Tejashwi Yadav can be best labelled as Jungle Raj Nayak and Rahul Gandhi, Jalebi Nayak.”

Other leaders also weighed in on the debate, with Hindustan Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi saying “the title is given by the people… it can’t be self-assumed”, calling the RJD’s attempt an “insult” to Karpoori Thakur’s legacy. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan echoed the sentiment, saying: “There is only one ‘Jan Nayak’ in Bihar—Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur ji.” Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, meanwhile, took a swipe at all sides, saying on X, “These days, some are busy declaring themselves ‘Jan Nayak’. It is shameful to appropriate such a title.”

Thakur, born in 1924, served as the chief minister of the state twice in the 1970s and is credited with introducing alcohol prohibition and championing social justice reforms. His posthumous Bharat Ratna, announced in 2024, reignited cross-party claims to his political inheritance.

With the election closing in, what began as a symbolic contest has turned into a test of authenticity. While opposition parties attempt to draw inspiration from Thakur’s legacy, the BJP has framed their efforts as opportunism.