Karpoori Thakur’s revolutionary ideas gave new direction to Bihar politics, notion of social justice

In 1967, Thakur — past with the Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP) — was elected to the assembly for the 4th time. The Congress failed to unafraid a bulk successful that election, and Thakur’s enactment came unneurotic with others including the Jana Sangh, CPI, the Jan Kranti Dal and the Praja Socialist Party to signifier a government. Although the SSP was the largest enactment aft the Congress and Thakur was a beardown contender for the CM’s post, the different parties didn’t enactment him, arguing that the idiosyncratic who had defeated the erstwhile CM should get the post.

Thus, each the allies agreed to endorse Mahamaya Prasad Sinha of the Jan Kranti Dal, who had defeated erstwhile CM K B Sahay successful his constituency. Thakur became lawman CM for the archetypal clip successful Sinha’s government, and was the archetypal person from the Extremely Backward Classes to clasp this station — and aboriginal that of CM — successful the country. But this didn’t beryllium good with a conception of salient Backward-Class legislators, particularly among the Yadavs.

During his tenure, Thakur implemented respective revolutionary changes successful education. He abolished the request of English successful the matriculation exam, which had a affirmative semipermanent impact, providing the underprivileged with an accidental to prosecute higher education. However, his determination was besides criticised, with opponents sarcastically referring to it arsenic the “Karpoori Division”.

But wrong six months, his authorities fell, with a important relation played by his wellness minister, B P Mandal. Alleging incompetence successful the administration, Mandal resigned from the SSP connected 26 August 1967 and, on with Babu Jagdev Prasad, formed the Shoshit Dal, which consisted of 25 MLAs, 18 of whom were from the Yadav caste. With the enactment of the Congress and the assistance of Yadav person R L Chandapuri, Mandal conspired successful January 1968 to overthrow the government. The Shoshit Dal formed the caller authorities with the Congress’s backing and Mandal became CM. Following this, the Mandal authorities acceptable up the J R Mudholkar Commission to analyse allegations of corruption against Thakur and his ministers, though nary factual grounds was found, and Mandal’s tenure arsenic CM lasted lone for 50 days.

Thakur became the CM for the archetypal clip connected December 22, 1970, astatine the caput of a conjugation government. His authorities lasted lone for six months, from December 22, 1970, to June 2, 1971. However, connected June 1, 1971, helium created a significant disturbance successful Bihar’s politics by forming a committee to code the contented of preservation for backward classes. The adjacent CM, Bhola Paswan Shastri, annulled this committee and established a caller 1 nether the chairmanship of Mungeri Lal.

Due to his abbreviated tenure successful office, Thakur was incapable to instrumentality important reforms. The superior reasons for this were the interior instability of the conjugation authorities and the absorption posed by influential leaders specified arsenic Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav.

After the Emergency, helium became CM of Bihar for the 2nd clip successful 1977. During this tenure, helium took historical steps towards affirmative enactment by implementing the recommendations of the Mungeri Lal Commission, with 12 per cent preservation for the Extremely Backward Classes, 8 per cent for the Backward Classes, 3 per cent for women from each classes, and 3 per cent for economically weaker sections. For the archetypal clip successful autarkic India, helium introduced affirmative enactment for women and economically weaker sections of the wide category.
This determination led to aggravated disapproval of Thakur. The precocious castes opposed the wide implementation of affirmative action, portion the feudal OBCs were dissatisfied with the sub-categorisation of OBC reservation, which was perceived arsenic a fragmentation of “backward unity.” As a result, a ballot of no-confidence was passed against his government, and helium was removed from the presumption of main minister.

Nevertheless, his determination gave a caller absorption to Bihar’s politics, the interaction of which is inactive disposable today. The foresight of his policies was not constricted to Bihar; it was besides felt successful different states and astatine the nationalist level, culminating successful the instauration of 10 percent preservation for economically weaker sections successful 2019 and the 106th Amendment, which volition bring successful 33 percent preservation for women successful legislative bodies. Furthermore, the astir marginalised communities wrong the OBC class are present demanding sub-categorisation successful reservation.
In his past days, Thakur was solitary, yet helium was determined to support his relation successful the authorities of the backward classes. Six days earlier his death, the Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Shivchandra Jha, issued a notification removing him from the presumption of person of the Opposition. Thakur passed distant connected February 17, 1988.

Thakur’s policies provided opportunities to those sections of nine that were the astir marginalised, invisible, and fragmented wrong the societal structure. Today, erstwhile we prosecute successful debates implicit the preservation policy, it becomes evident that astatine its halfway lies a profound thought of societal justice. This thought asserts that not lone redistribution of resources but besides respect and equality are essential.


Tyagi is simply a erstwhile Rajya Sabha MP and Chaurasia is probe chap astatine Department of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia University