Karpoori Thakur / PM Modi Honors Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur, Congress Fires Three Critical Questions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenced his election campaign in Bihar on Friday by paying homage to Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur in Karpoori village, Samastipur. During his visit, he expressed confidence, stating that the public's enthusiasm indicates a massive victory for the BJP-NDA in the upcoming elections. PM Modi shared on social media, "Today, I will have the privilege of paying tribute to Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur in Samastipur. Following this, I will interact with my family members there around 12:15 PM. Later, I will seek the blessings of my brothers and sisters at a public meeting in Begusarai around 2 PM. " He further added that the passion and enthusiasm of the people of Bihar indicate a resounding victory for the BJP-NDA in the upcoming assembly elections.

प्रधानमंत्री आज कर्पूरी ठाकुर जी के गाँव जा रहे हैं। उनके लिए तीन सीधे सवाल -

1. कर्पूरी ठाकुर जी ने 1978 में पिछड़ों को 26 प्रतिशत आरक्षण देकर सामाजिक न्याय की ऐतिहासिक नींव रखी थी। क्या यह सही नहीं है कि आपकी पार्टी के वैचारिक पूर्वज -जनसंघ और आरएसएस - ने उनकी आरक्षण नीति का…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 24, 2025

Opposition to Reservation Policy and Jan Sangh

Ahead of PM Modi's visit, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the Prime Minister and posed three pointed questions. He accused the ideological predecessors of the BJP of opposing Karpoori. Thakur's reservation policy in 1978 and raising derogatory slogans against him. Ramesh demanded to know if PM Modi would apologize on behalf of the Jan Sangh and RSS for this historical mistake. In his first question, Jairam Ramesh highlighted that Karpoori Thakur laid the historic foundation of social justice by providing 26 percent reservation to backward classes in 1978. He questioned whether it was true that the Jan Sangh and RSS openly opposed this policy, chanted insulting slogans on the streets, and played a significant role in destabilizing and bringing down the Karpoori Thakur government.

Government's Stance on Caste Census

The Congress leader's second question addressed the caste census, while he asked if PM Modi had not insulted the rights of Dalits, backward classes, and tribals by labeling the Congress party's demand for a caste census as an 'urban naxal agenda. ' Ramesh further alleged that the government refused to conduct a caste census in Parliament and the Supreme Court, deliberately ignoring this legitimate demand from millions of marginalized people.

Bihar Reservation and 9th Schedule

In his third query, Jairam Ramesh questioned why the central government had not included the Bihar assembly's resolution to increase reservation for backward classes, extremely backward classes, Dalits, and tribals to 65% in the 9th Schedule, especially after the state's caste survey. He drew a parallel with the Congress government's action in 1994, which provided protection to Tamil Nadu's 69% reservation by including it in the 9th Schedule, asking why similar protection was denied to Bihar's reservation.