Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur's son Ramnath Thakur gets entry in Modi 3.0 from JD(U) quota

Bharat Ranta awardee and Bihar's former chief minister Karpoori Thakur's son Ramnath Kumar clinched his place in the cabinet of the NDA government on Sunday (June 9).

Two-time JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Ramnath Kumar's family earlier confirmed Indian media organisations about hisministerial 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,” a family member was quoted as saying by the media.

“Ramnath Thakur was one obvious choice for a ministerial position. Karpoori Thakur is not just a matter of symbolism for us,Nitish Kumarhas 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, as reported by The Indian Express.

The name of Ramnath Thakur was chosen over other ENC leaders Supaul MP Dileshwar Kamat and JhanjharpurMP Rampreet Mandal.

Who is Ramnath Thakur?

Ramnath Thakur, who belongs to Bihar's Samastipur, served as a state minister between 2005 and 2010.

His political career began in 1970 when he was assisting his father. However, he did not join electoral politics as his father was not in favour of it.

After the death of Karpoori Thakur in February 1988, Ramnath went ahead in the electoral politics and got elected as MLA.

In 1994, he was nominated to the Upper House of Bihar legislature. In 2000, Thakur successfully contested the Assembly elections.

He also clinched victory in February 2005 and then again in October 2005 from Samastipur and also held the position of the land and revenue minister.

However, Ramnath faced defeat in the 2010 Assembly polls by a narrow margin in which the Nitish-led NDA clinched victory on 206 of Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats.

After the loss, Ramnath remained low till he received a surprise nomination to theRajya Sabhafrom the JD(U) before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

(With inputs from agencies)