JD(U) distances itself from ex-MP KC Tyagi's request for Bharat Ratna to Nitish
Patna (PTI): The JD(U) on Saturday distanced itself from its ex-MP KC Tyagi's request for Bharat Ratna to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, stating that it was his personal view and "not in line with the party's ideology".
In a letter to PM Narendra Modi on Thursday, Tyagi had called Kumar a "precious gem" of the socialist movement, and worthy of the highest civilian honour in the country.
Asked about the letter, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said, "Tyagi has made several statements in the recent past which have not been in line with the party's ideology and not the official stand. All statements made by him shall be deemed to have been made in his personal capacity."
Office bearers in the JD(U) are "not sure whether Tyagi continues to hold any post in the party", he said.
In the letter to the PM, Tyagi had said, "Nitish Kumar, a precious gem of the socialist movement, is worthy of the highest civilian honour. I hope and request that our beloved leader be bestowed with this honour so that history remembers your efforts."
Tyagi has been with the JD(U) since its inception two and a half decades ago.
A protege of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, Tyagi was also known to be close to Sharad Yadav, a former JD(U) president who was disowned by the party in 2017.
Yadav later went on to float another outfit and merged it with RJD shortly before his death, while Tyagi chose to align with Kumar.
While in JD(U), he enjoyed a Rajya Sabha term that ended in 2016 and continued to hold key party posts, including principal national general secretary.
Meanwhile, JD(U) leaders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out "while a Bharat Ratna for our leader will make party cadres proud, but the fact remains that demands to the effect have, so far, always been made by those who have never been well-wishers of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar".
They cited the examples of NDA detractors like Union ministers Chirag Paswan, who heads Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and BJP's Giriraj Singh, besides RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, a former Bihar Deputy CM who is now the leader of the opposition.
The party leaders wondered if, by pressing the demand for the highest civilian honour, those not known to have good equations with Kumar were indirectly trying to suggest that the longest serving CM of Bihar, who has held the post for nearly 20 years, should now hang up his boots.
JJD founder Tej Pratap Yadav also demanded Bharat Ratna for his father, Lalu Prasad.
"It is the demand of our party that Lalu Prasad should, too, be awarded with Bharat Ratna," he said.
"It is said that my father and Nitish Kumar used to live like brothers. Therefore, Bharat Ratna should be awarded to both of them," he added.
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
