Nitish Kumar asked me to lead his party, I refused: Prashant Kishor
Patna(PTI): Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and claimed that he spurned a recent request by the latter to "lead" the Janata Dal (United).
Kishor, who is on a 3,500-km-long pada-yatra' that would cover every nook and corner of the state, made the claim in a remote part of West Champaran district, about 275 km from Patna.
"Nitish Kumar has been able to hold on to his chair and thinks he is very smart ( mukhyamanti banke bahut hoshiyar ban rahe hain'), said Kishor with uncharacteristic acerbity for a leader whom he has often called a father figure.
"After losing the 2014 (Lok Sabha) polls, he met me in Delhi, begging for help. I assisted him in winning the 2015 assembly polls as the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan'. Today, he has the temerity to offer gyan' (wisdom) to me, added Kishor.
The 45-year-old former national vice-president of JD(U) seems to have taken to heart Kumar's recent dismissive averment that Kishor did not know A, B and C" of Bihar's politics, and the economy which he was promising to transform.
"I am the son of a doctor, trying to work in my home state after having proven my mettle across the country, the IPAC founder remarked, betraying indignation.
"You all must have learnt through media reports that Nitish Kumar had called me to his residence about 10-15 days back. He asked me to lead his party. I said it is not possible. I cannot go back on the commitment I have made in return for any post, said Kishor, who has launched a public awareness campaign called Jan Suraaj'.
Kishor was inducted into the JD(U) in 2018 by Kumar, who then headed the party, and got elevated to the national vice-president's post within a few weeks.
However, a squabble with Kumar over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens led to his expulsion from the party less than a couple of years later.
JD(U) leaders did not immediately react to the latest utterances of Kishor, which came on a day when festivities and a Patna High Court order throwing municipal elections into jeopardy held their attention.
However, Kishor's outbursts came just a day after JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan had questioned the source of his funding.
Kishor also amply demonstrated that he was miffed, saying, "those wanting to know from where I am getting the money should know that unlike them, I have not indulged in dalaali' (brokerage)".
"Politicians have for long been seeking my advice on how to win elections. Media has been full of praise for my track record as a political strategist. But never before have I asked anybody to lend me money, he said.
"But today I am seeking donations. This is the fee that I am charging towards building this movement which entails expenses like the tent we have put up here," Kishor was heard as saying in the video footage shared on social media accounts of Jan Suraaj'.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
