JD(U) distances itself from ex-MP K.C. Tyagi over his request for Bharat Ratna to Nitish

Two days after JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider bestowing ‘Bharat Ratna’ on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the party on Saturday (January 10, 2026) said the statements by its former MP were his personal views and “not in line with the party’s ideology”.

In a letter to the PM on Thursday (January 8), Mr. Tyagi said Mr. Kumar, who is a “precious gem” of the socialist movement, is worthy of the highest civilian honour.

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Asked about Mr. Tyagi’s letter, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said, “The former party MP 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.

“March 30 2024, was a day to honour our ancestors. Thanks to your efforts, they were bestowed with the highest honour, the ‘Bharat Ratna’,” Mr. Tyagi said in his letter to the PM.

On March 30, 2024, President Droupadi Murmu conferred Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, on former Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan and two-time former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, posthumously, at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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“Impressed by your efforts, I humbly request that Nitish Kumar, a precious gem of the socialist movement, is also worthy of this honour. Many heroes have received this honour during their lifetime,” Mr. Tyagi said in the letter.

“On behalf of millions of people, I hope and request that our beloved leader Nitish Kumar be bestowed with this honour so that history remembers your efforts,” the former JD(U) MP added.

Mr. Tyagi has been with the JD(U) since its inception two and a half decades ago.

A protege of former Prime Minister Choudhry Chran Singh, Mr Tyagi was also known to be close to Shard Yadav, a former JD(U) president who was disowned by the party in 2017.

Mr. Yadav later went on to float another outfit and merged it with RJD shortly before his death, while Mr. Tyagi chose to align with Nitish Kumar.