Modi to return as PM, 'not fair' to view Nitish as claimant for top post: Prashant Kishor
Patna : JD(U) national vice president Prashant Kishor said on Monday that Narendra Modi would return as the Prime Minister after Lok Sabha polls and though Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was "a big leader in the NDA" it was "unfair" to view him as a claimant for the top post, even in the event of the BJP not getting a clear mandate.
Kishor, who joined the JD(U) in September last year, made the comments in response to queries about his recent visit to Mumbai, where he met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, fuelling speculations about a strategic alliance between his party and the Maharashtra-based outfit, which, of late, has been critical of Modi's leadership.
A resident of Buxar district in the state, Kishor shot to fame in 2014 when he managed the poll campaign for Narendra Modi, then the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, which went on to put up its best-ever electoral performance.
A year later, he collaborated with Kumar who returned to power for his third consecutive term after registering a handsome victory in the assembly polls.
"I met the Shiv Sena chief upon his invitation. The party is an NDA constituent and so there is nothing out of place in both of us (Thackeray and Kishor) having discussions. The speculations of my helping them with poll strategy do not have any substance. I am now a member of a party and cannot offer such professional assistance," he told reporters.
Asked about the chances of Nitish Kumar becoming the prime minister and he the deputy PM, in the event of the BJP falling short of adequate numbers, Kishor said, "No discussion of the sort took place. Kumar is a big leader. Anybody who has ruled a major state like Bihar for close to 15 years is bound to have a stature. But it would be unfair to him if we start considering him a claimant for the prime minister's post."
"Narendra Modi is the NDA's prime ministerial candidate and he will return as the Prime Minister again. Nitish Kumar will have a role to play, of course. Among NDA constituents, the JD(U) is the third largest after the BJP and the Shiv Sena. But nothing more should be read into this," he added.
Kishor also said that during his meeting with Thackeray, whose party has often been accused of spreading hatred against the people from Bihar, "the issue of the safety of Biharis living in Maharashtra was taken up. I said that in Bihar, the JD(U) would ensure the well-being of Maharashtrians and expressed hope that his party would respond in kind."
To a query about allegations levelled by opposition parties that law and order had deteriorated in Bihar in the recent times, bringing disrepute to the Nitish Kumar government, Kishor said, "Statistics speak otherwise."
"People often say it is the first term of Kumar, from 2005-2010, when the law and order situation was the best. Perhaps it was because people experienced a welcome change from the days when Bihar, comprising only 10 per cent of the country's total population, witnessed more than 20 per cent of incidents of robberies and other crimes."
"Statistics say that the law and order situation today is even better than what it was during Kumar's first tenure. But with people getting used to peace and order, expectations soar and this is not something we can complain about, but must gear up and face as a challenge," he added.
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'He is in a happy place now': Harish Rana's last rites conducted, family to donate his organs
Ghaziabad (UP) (PTI): Don't cry, he is in a happy place now, the parents of Harish Rana, the first person in India to be permitted passive euthanasia, said on Wednesday as they bid farewell to their son one last time.
Harish's last rites were conducted at the Green Park cremation ground in South Delhi on Wednesday morning, marking a quiet end to his 13-year ordeal.
In a final act of generosity, Harish's family consented to donate five of his organs.
The 31-year-old man passed away on Tuesday after slipping into a coma in 2013, following a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a B.Tech student at Panjab University.
During the last rites, Harish's mother bid an emotional farewell to her son with folded hands and met those present, while his father Ashok Rana urged mourners not to cry, a neighbour told PTI over the phone.
Residents who attended the cremation described the atmosphere as deeply emotional. Tejas Chaturvedi, a resident of the Raj Empire Society, noted that many attendees were moved to tears during the ceremony. However, Ashok Rana continued to console others and encouraged them to remain strong in their moment of grief.
"Let no one weep. I am praying that my son may depart in peace. Wherever he is born next, may he receive God's blessings," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai, who visited the cremation ground to pay his respects, told PTI that the family had confirmed donation of five of Harish's organs. "Harish might be gone, but he will continue to live on through the beneficiaries of his organ donation. The family has set an example before the entire nation," Rai told PTI over the phone.
Family members, along with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement led by women, attended the cremation to offer their prayers for Harish. Residents from the Raj Empire Society in Ghaziabad, where the Rana family lives, also came to show their support, joining a diverse group of NGOs, AIIMS staff, relatives, and friends.
Harish's body was transported to the cremation ground in an ambulance, and the platform was covered in rose petals. Many mourners paid their last respects with folded hands, and some placed saffron garlands on the body before it was laid upon the pyre. Ashish Rana, Harish's younger brother, lit the pyre, accompanied by his sister, Bhavna.
Sister Lovely of the Brahma Kumaris, who has been associated with the family and travelled to the cremation ground, said that meditative chants were performed during the last rites. "The body is leaving the mortal world, but the soul is immortal and has begun a new journey," she said.
"The family decided to donate Harish's eyes," Sister Lovely told PTI.
Additionally, Sister Lovely shared that a 'bhog' (offering) and prayer ritual will be held by the Brahma Kumaris in the coming days, where food items that Harish enjoyed will be prepared. "Harish could not eat for over a decade. Now the soul is free. In a symbolic gesture, we will offer the food that his body loved," she said.
Earlier, neighbours and well-wishers spoke of the family's unwavering commitment to caring for Harish despite the emotional and financial challenges they faced over the years. His parents, Ashok Rana and Nirmala Devi, described the decision to allow passive euthanasia as "extremely painful but necessary."
According to sources, the family is scheduled to return to their Ghaziabad residence after completing the last rites and related rituals.
Harish was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS Delhi earlier this month from his Ghaziabad home following a landmark Supreme Court order permitting the withdrawal of life support for him. He passed away on Tuesday.
The apex court had clarified that passive euthanasia in his case would involve withdrawal of artificial nutrition, such as the feeding tube, while continuing palliative care to allow a natural death with dignity. Medical boards had concluded that his condition was irreversible.
