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The family members of former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur expressed their happiness and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for honouring the former with the Bharat Ratna (posthumously), the country's highest civilian award.
President Droupadi Murmu will present the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur on Saturday. The former Bihar CM's family arrived in Delhi to receive the award to be conferred upon him by President Murmu. Bihar Minister Maheshwar Hazari is also present with Karpoori Thakur's family. Speaking to ANI, Karpoori Thakur's son and JD (U) leader Ram Nath Thakur said, "The people of Bihar and the country are as happy as I am today. Nitish Kumar ji had continuously appealed to the government of India to confer Bharat Ratna on Karpoori Thakur ji." Namita Kumari, former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur's granddaughter, said that it is a "historic moment" not just for the family but for the entire family. "It's difficult to express in words how happy I feel today. It is a historic moment, not just for the family but for the entire state of Bihar. I would like to thank PM Modi," she said. Ranjit Kumar, the former Bihar CM's grandson, also thanked PM Modi for announcing Karpoori Thakur's name for the Bharat Ratna. "When PM Modi invited our family to his residence, he told us that he decided to confer Karpoori Thakur with this award. Foremost, I would like to thank him for this," he said. Maheshwar Hazari said, "I would like to thank PM Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar ji for this. The people of Samastipur have always believed that Karpoori Thakur should be conferred with such an honour." The central government announced five names for the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, this year. PM Modi announced that former PMs Chaudhary Charan Singh and PV Narasimha Rao will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. Along with them, MS Swaminathan, also known as the father of the green revolution, will also be awarded the country's highest civilian award. The government also bestowed the honour on veteran BJP leader LK Advani and former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur. This year, a total of five people have been honoured with Bharat Ratna, the maximum since 1999, when four were given the award. (ANI)
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