Union Minister Kishan Reddy releases BJP 2025 diary

Hyderabad: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday released the BJP's 2025 diary at the party State office here. Earlier, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur, he paid floral tributes at his portrait.

Speaking to media persons on the occasion, he recalled that Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur undertook many student movements as a socialist leader and added that he fought for the uplift of SCs, STs and BCs. “Karpoori Thakur was a legislator, education minister and two-time chief minister. He worked tirelessly and served the OBCs for their social and politically appropriate position. During his tenure as education minister, he brought about many reforms in the education sector. Karpoori Thakur was known as Jannayak by the entire community.

Karpoori Thakur was a freedom fighter who fought for the country's independence in the Quit India Movement from his student days and spent 25 months in jail. After independence, while working as a school teacher in his own village, he worked for the uplift of the downtrodden and weaker sections of the society as they would have a better future if they studied.

Karpoori Thakur was the first to believe that the country should have an official language. He made great efforts to promote Hindi language to preserve it as a mother tongue. In 1952, he was elected MLA from Bihar. He was a great man, who worked well in the People's Socialist Party and the Joint Socialist Party,” he said.

Reddy said Thakur was elected as Chief Minister of Bihar twice in 1970 and 1977 and added that they celebrated the birth centenary of Karpoori Thakur last year. He recalled that the Jana Sangh Socialist Party and the old Congress party, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, raised their voice against former PM Indira Gandhi's dictatorial rule and misuse of power.

He said during the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, many leaders like Acharya Kripalani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, George Fernandes and Lal Krishna Advani were put in jail. He said there was a silent revolution by the Janata Party against Indira Gandhi's rule in the country and added that in the 1977 election, the Janata Party defeated Indira Gandhi. “The role of Karpoori Thakuri in the movements of the day was unforgettable. Irrespective of castes and religions, he worked for the service of the country,” he said.

Stating that awards like Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan are given at the behest of political parties earlier, he said they were honouring the great personalities, who are selflessly working for the country, for social transformation and consciousness by conferring Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awards today.

Stating that as the first non-Congress Chief Minister in 1983, NT Rama Rao brought about a political change in the undivided AP State, he said Karpoori Thakur was the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Bihar. He said in 1970, for the first time, a ban on alcohol was introduced in Bihar.

Stating that they don't need Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's certificate about the Constitution and BR Ambedkar, he said 140 crore people of the country had given a certificate to PM Narendra Modi's leadership and added that Modi became the Prime Minister for the third time.

He claimed that though the Congress leaders voted and supported Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the first Prime Minister of the country, Jawahar Lal Nehru sidelined him and became the Prime Minister. He said the BJP was working with the inspiration of Karpoori Thakur, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jayaprakash Narayan, Mahatma Gandhi, Kumram Bheem, Ramji Gond and Alluri Sitarama Raju.