Joined politics to complete unfinished task of my grandfather, Karpoori Thakur: Jagriti Thakur

Karpoori Thakur’s granddaughter Jagriti Thakur speaks about what prompted her transition to politics

PATNA: Socialist leader Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur’s granddaughter Jagriti Thakur is contesting in the Bihar Assembly election as a candidate of the Jan Suraj Party (JSP) from Samastipur’s Morwa seat.

Jagriti Thakur.

A doctor by profession, she speaks to HT about what prompted her transition from medical field to politics and how she sees her prospects from an area her grandfather represented decades ago.

What prompted you to switch from the medical field to politics?

It is the desire to complete the unfinished task of my grandfather, who is still remembered with great reverence for his work for the poor and the marginalised that brought me to politics. It is the service to mankind that is the guiding principle in both medical and politics. My father is also a doctor and he also served the people and encouraged me to join politics to be directly into public service.

Why did you choose JSP, and not others claiming to carry forward the legacy of Karpooriji?

It is the vision that brought me to the JSP. Karpooriji also started alone and went on to become ‘jannayak’ due to people’s love and support to his politics of selfless service, and the JSP has also started from the scratch with people’s basic issues that they deserve but have been denied. Prashant Kishor has created a new wave in politics, which talks about people. I met him around two years ago when he was on his padyatra and I was impressed by the way he raised people-centric issues, which all parties are at least talking about now. He has been able to change the narrative. So, I decided to contribute and join.

What is the response in Morwa for you? Will you get the benefit of Karpooriji’s legacy?

The response has been touching, as Karpooriji still lives in the heart of the people. People say that after him, not much happened here. I will try to take Karpooriji’s legacy forward in the true sense by fulfilling their aspirations. My grandfather’s blessings are with me through the people he served. People tell me that politics in the region revolved around my grandfather over the years, but his ideology of working for the deprived and the marginalised was forgotten.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar was also in Morwa campaigning for the Janata Dal-United (JD-U). Your uncle, Rajya Sabha MP and Union minister Ramnath Thakur, is also in the JD-U. What has been his response to you joining politics?

That you can ask him. I have got the blessings of my uncle. Nitishji is respected to me, as he has worked. But, it is the blessings of the people of Morwa that matters for me. My objective is to take the legacy of my grandfather forward by working for the people of Morwa, who seem to have been left behind. My grandfather did not do anything for himself. Earlier, Morwa was part of the Tajpur seat and that was represented by Karpooriji.

What are your focus areas?

My focus will be on education, healthcare and checking migration to bring about positive change. I have been in Morwa for the last six months to understand the issues of the people by directly interacting with them.