Nitish Kumar govt being run by 4 ex-bureaucrats, CM in grip of these babus: Prashant Kishor
Patna, Sep 29: Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, alleging that the state government was being "run by four retired bureaucrats" and the CM was in the "grip of these former babus".
Addressing a press conference here, three days ahead of floating his own political party, Kishor vowed to dislodge the JD(U) president from power.
He charged the longest-serving CM of Bihar with running his government through a handful of "retired bureaucrats".
He also claimed that the 2025 Bihar assembly polls would be fought on the issue of 'three S', that is 'sarab' (liquor), 'survey' (land) and 'smart meter', and asserted that these issues would prove to be the "final nail in the coffin for the current regime".
"The Nitish Kumar government is being run by four retired bureaucrats. The CM is in the grip of these babus. Neither Kumar nor these bureaucrats are aware of the problems being faced by the people. Kumar has changed now. He has lost his morality and is only interested in securing the chief minister's chair," Kishor alleged.
His 'Jan Suraj' initiative will become a political party on October 2.
"When we form the government after the 2025 assembly polls in Bihar, we will end the liquor ban within one hour," he said, adding that "the existing prohibition law in the state is fake".
The state has been incurring a "loss of nearly Rs 20,000 crore every year", while the "liquor mafia and officials continue to make money from illegal trade", Kishor said.
The Jan Suraj chief said he would continue to speak against the policy and was not afraid of losing votes of women.
"Whether I get votes of women or not, I will continue speaking against the liquor ban since it is not in the interest of Bihar," he said.
Kishor also said Kumar was holding on to power as if he had applied adhesive on his chair and that the BJP, as his ally, bore the brunt of his "misrule" just like Congress was also "responsible for Lalu's jungle raj".
"If RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar are responsible for the destruction of Bihar, the Congress and the BJP are to be equally blamed for the same. Both parties have been supporting Lalu and Nitish respectively for the last few years.
"It seems that the link between Nitish Kumar and the chair of the CM is unbreakable - be it any alliance. Kumar has applied Fevicol on the CM's chair that keeps him intact to it," said Kishor.
Kishor claimed that he had advised Kumar not to become CM when his party had won only 42 seats in the last assembly polls.
"But Nitish Kumar accepted the offer and became the CM. This is the bond he has with the chair of CM," he said.
He criticised both the RJD and Kumar's JD(U) for "harming the interests" of Bihar.
"The people of Bihar have witnessed both of them for 30 years. Now, I am confident that we will win in Bihar in the next year's assembly polls. We will have a comprehensive victory...If our party touches a mere majority figure in the 243-member assembly or gets 10-15 seats more than the majority, it will be a defeat for us. I will accept my defeat. We want a comprehensive victory", he said.
Kishor said the BJP would face a "humiliating defeat in the coming polls as the saffron party is witnessing a leadership crisis in Bihar".
"People don't know who is the present state BJP chief. Not even ten per cent of citizens can recognise him by face," he added.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
