Patna, Jan 23 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday hailed the announcement that the country's highest civilian award "Bharat Ratna" will be conferred to his late mentor Karpoori Thakur.

In a statement, the JD(U) president said it was a "fulfilment of an age-old demand" by his party that will "send a positive message among deprived sections of the society".

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"I have always raised the demand for Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur. The announcement that comes on the eve of his 100th birth anniversary brings me great delight," Kumar said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)