'Jan Nayak' Battle: Congress, Allies, And BJP Spar Over Karpoori Thakur

There are less than 10 days for the Bihar election and the opposition INDIA bloc is having a sort of an 'I am Spartacus' moment. The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Samajwadi Party appear to be squabbling over the title of 'Jan Nayak', or 'the people's hero', which has traditionally been reserved for Karpoori Thakur, the socialist icon and former Chief Minister.

The SP is the latest to stake claim; Lucknow (Central) MLA Ravidas Mehrotra said Tuesday, "All INDIA parties will make the decision - on who is 'Jan Nayak' - together. No single party has the right to decide on its own... if so, then we are saying Akhilesh Yadav is the 'Jan Nayak'." The RJD has claimed the title too, for senior party leader Tejashwi Yadav.

The row broke after the Congress declared Rahul Gandhi the 'Jan Nayak'. Hindustan Awam Morcha chief Jitan Manjhi, a member of the BJP-led ruling alliance, was dismissive. "The title is given by the people... it can't be self-assumed," he said.

Manjhi was more critical of claims by the RJD to similarly label Tejashwi Yadav, who last week was finally confirmed as the INDIA bloc's chief ministerial candidate. "I was told people referred to Tejashwi Yadav as 'Jan Nayak'. That is an insult to the word... Karpoori Thakur ji was called 'Jan Nayak'. But what has Tejashwi done for the state..." he told news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Gaya Ji, Bihar | On Congress's "Jan-Nayak" tweet featuring Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader & Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi says," The title of 'Jan-Nayak' is given by the people of the country, it can't be self-claimed. I was told… pic.twitter.com/dBtuGsY6Cb

— ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2025

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dharmendra Pradhan was equally curt in his response. "There is only one 'Jan Nayak' in Bihar... Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur ji. If anyone makes a failed attempt to copy him, the people will not accept that."

And, to round off the volley of snapbacks, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a swipe of his own. The Janata Dal United boss said on X, "These days, some are busy declaring themselves 'Jan Nayak'. But it is shameful to appropriate such a title."

The Congress' attempt to present Gandhi as Bihar's 'Jan Nayak' is seen as an attempt to boost its 'feel-good' factor with voters before polling next week. It has responded to criticism on this tactic by insisting it is not 'competing' with Thakur.

The squabble is important because of the magnitude of Karpoori Thakur's legacy and the potential influence his name still has on voters today (in what might be a tight election), and because Nitish Kumar and RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav are proteges of the late Bihar icon.

The significance of that legacy was in further evidence last week, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Thakur's village home before kickstarting his party's poll campaign in Samastipur. The Congress responded by claiming Thakur had, in fact, been a political target of the Jan Sangh (from which part the BJP emerged) in the 1970s, when he was Chief Minister.

The BJP fired back by accusing the Congress of 'title chori', a play on its 'vote chori' jibe.

RECAP | "Politics Of Symbolism": Rahul Gandhi On Karpoori Thakur's Bharat Ratna

Born January 24, 1924, Thakur was the first non-Congress socialist leader to be Bihar Chief Minister, a post he held twice in the '70s, and is credited with Bihar's alcohol prohibition policy.

RECAP | Karpoori Thakur Was Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav's Mentor

The BJP and its opposition also clashed over the Karpoori Thakur legacy in January last year, when he was awarded a posthumous Bharat Ratna. That, though, was when Nitish Kumar was still a member of the opposition alliance, and the JDU boss had some sharp remarks to make.

RECAP | Nitish Kumar's "My Brother" Jab At BJP Over Karpoori Thakur's Bharat Ratna

Those jabs included Nitish declaring he expected the PM to "claim full credit" for conferring the award on Karpoori Thakur.

With inputs from agencies

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