Prashant Kishor’s Tough Questions For Nitish Kumar

Prashant Kishore talks to reporters on expulsion from Nitish Kumar’s JDU

Patna:

Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor today redirected his attention to Bihar politics and aimed a series of uncomfortable questions at former political mentor Nitish Kumar, who expelled him from the Janata Dal United last month after an acrimonious war of words.

He also launched a “Baat Bihar Ki” programme to reach out to thousands of the state’s younger voters.

In the backdrop of the Bihar election later this year, Prashant Kishor questioned what he called Nitish Kumar’s ideological compromise to stay in the alliance with the BJP and also dissected the Chief Minister’s claims about development in Bihar, launching a searing attack on the state government’s performance.

“There have been many discussions between me and Nitish ji about the party’s ideology. Nitish ji always told us that the party can never leave the ideals of Gandhi ji… But now the party is with those who are soft on Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse… For me Gandhi ji and Godse cannot go hand-in-hand,” Mr Kishor said.

He also challenged Nitish Kumar and his government to confront him on data that he claimed showed very little progress in Bihar between 2005 and 2015.

“While Bihar has made progress, we must also see things from the perspective that compared to other states, Bihar is lacking even today… Why is that? It stands where it was in 2005. Except Jharkhand, Bihar is still the most backward state in India. I keep repeating that Bihar was most backward in 2005, and is still the most backward when compared to other states,” said Mr Kishor.

On his expulsion, he said: “Nitish Kumar saw me as a son and I always saw him as a father. It is Nitish Kumar’s prerogative to take me into the party or expel me, I will always respect him.”