Modi govt 3.0: Karpoori Thakur’s son Ramnath gets a berth from JD(U) quota

Two-time JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Ramnath Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) is all set to become Union Minister in the third Narendra Modi government. Ramnath is the son of socialist stalwart and former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur who was awarded the Bharat Ranta by the Modi government earlier this year.

A member of his family confirmed Thakur getting the ministerial berth. “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.

“Ramnath Thakur was one obvious choice for a ministerial position. Karpoori Thakur is not just a matter of symbolism for us, Nitish Kumar has drawn a lot from Karpoori Thakur’s ideology and governance methods. Ramnath Thakur becoming minister helps us play up the Karpoori symbolism. It will send a great message to the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) community of Bihar,” said a senior JD(U) leader.

The 73-year-old Ramnath Thakur has been preferred over other ENC leaders such as Rampreet Mandal, the Jhanjharpur MP, and Dileshwar Kamat who is the MP from Supaul.

Thakur, who hails from Samastipur, has also served as Bihar minister between 2005 and 2010. He started his political career in 1970, assisting his father, but did not join electoral politics because Karpoori never wanted to promote his son in politics. Months after Karpoori’s death in February 1988, Ramnath took the plunge into electoral politics and was elected MLA. He was nominated to the Upper House of Bihar legislature in 1994. Thakur successfully contested the Assembly elections in 2000, February 2005 and then again in October 2005 from