Patna, June 6 (IANS) Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas leader Shambhavi Choudhary on Friday strongly criticised the Congress for referring to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi as ‘Jan Nayak’ and asserted that it’s not possible to have another Karpoori Thakur.
Speaking to IANS, Shambhavi Choudhary said: “I don’t think the Congress even knows about the life and legacy of Karpoori Thakur. What he was and what he did cannot be matched. Comparing him to Rahul Gandhi is an insult. Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur was not just a person—he was an ideology. His ideals have shaped the political culture of the country. It’s not possible to have another Karpoori Thakur.”
She further questioned the Congress’s intentions, asking why the party did not honour Thakur during its tenure in power.
“If the Congress wants to do politics on his legacy, they should first answer why he was not awarded the Bharat Ratna when they were in power. They didn’t value his contributions back then, but now that the NDA has honoured him, the Congress is calling him ‘Jan Nayak’? What kind of politics is this? It would be better if they stayed away from such politics.”
Thakur, a highly respected socialist leader and former Chief Minister of Bihar, was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna by the NDA government in 2024.
Choudhary further reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Bihar’s Siwan district on June 20.
“It is a matter of great happiness that the Prime Minister is visiting Siwan. The depiction of Siwan in certain series reflects a time before 2005. Today, the district is free from fear, and the NDA government has played a key role in making it so. The Prime Minister has significantly contributed to transforming Bihar from a developing to a developed state.”
This will mark PM Modi’s fifth visit to Bihar after the 2024 parliamentary elections, following trips to Jamui in December, Bhagalpur in February, Madhubani in April, and Bikramganj in May.
On Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Bihar, Shambhavi Choudhary said: “There is no issue with him coming. Bihar’s culture welcomes guests with ‘Atithi Devo Bhava.’ But let’s not forget—during his party’s rule, nothing was done for women. Women empowerment has only been seriously pursued under the NDA government.”
–IANS
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