A Day Of Backward Politics In Bihar As PM Modi Remembers Karpoori Thakur, Congress Recalls Sitaram Kesri’s Contribution For 1st Time

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tribute to former Bihar Chief Minister Jannayak Karpoori Thakur at his native village, the Congress on other hand remembered its fformerparty chief Sitaram Kesri on his 25th death anniversary for the first time at the Delhi party old headquarters setting the tone for the politics of backward class in poll bound Bihar. 

The Prime Minister on Friday arrived in Samastipur and paid visit to Karpoori gram and paid floral tributes to him and also interacted with the children there. He was accompanied by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and socialist icon son Ram Nath Thakur, who is also a Union Minister. 

The Congress, however, remembered the former party chief Kesri at its old party headquarters 24 Akbar Road here for the first time, who had also served as the Congress treasurer for over a decade. 

Kesri was unceremoniously removed from the post of party chief after the Congress had withdrawn supoort from the HD Devegowda government in 1998 and the CWC appointed Sonia Gandhi as party’s interim chief. Kesri was also manhandled at the party headquarters then. 

However, the way in which Rahul Gandhi, who has been doing the politics of backward, Dalits and deprived class and in Bihar elections the BJP and the Prime Minister remembering Karpoori Thakur, it became a compulsion for the Congress to remember Kesri on his death anniversary. 

Leader of Opposotion in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi arrived at old party headquarters here and paid floral tributes to Kesri as well as by party general secretary KC Venugopal and other senior leaders including Tariq Anwar joined him. 

Speaking to the media, Venugopal said that Rahul Gandhi and others paid floral tributes to Kesri, the former party president.

Meanwhile, the tributes comes in the backdrop of BJP and Prime Minister Modi recalling Karpoori Thakur, who was teo time chief minister of the state and championed for the rights of the backward classes. 

Meanwhile, Tariq Anwar, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Katihar in Bihar from where Kesri won in 1967, said, “Kesri has been our senior leader and was apso the party president. While our Prime Minister only remembers these leaders during the elections. 

When asked if this was the political compulsion to remember Kesri for the first time at Delhi party office, Anwar, who dubs Kesri as his mentor in politics, said, “Kesri started his career as band master and reached to the post of party president. He has been remembered every year at Sadaqat Ashram in Patna.”

When pressed further, if this is the political compulsion for Congress that it remembered Kesri on his death anniversary after 25 years that too at a time when BJP is remembering Karpoori Thakur, he said, “I dont think that it is the case. This is good that this is happening (remembering Kesri). If he was not remembered for such a long time then it was not good. We must remember our leaders.”

The polling for the 243 member Bihar assembly is scheduled in two phases — November 6 and 11. Counting of votes will take place on November 14.

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