Will retire from politics if Nitish Kumar wins more than 25 seats in Bihar: Prashant Kishor
Patna: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has made a bold statement in the lead-up to the upcoming Bihar elections, vowing to retire from politics if Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party secures more than 25 seats.
Kishor, who is now leading the Jan Suraaj party, spoke to Deccan Herald about his predictions for the election and his party's strategy. According to him, this will be the final term for Nitish Kumar as Bihar's Chief Minister. “This is the last term of Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister. He is ‘tired and retired,’” Kishor asserted, pointing to Kumar’s ongoing health concerns. He further predicted, “Mark my words, he is not going to win more than 25 seats this year.”
When pressed about his harsh assessment of a leader who has been in power since 2005, Kishor raised the stakes. “If he wins more than 25 seats, I will retire from politics,” he declared.
Kishor, who has been critical of both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, emphasised that his party would not enter into any alliances. “We cannot join hands with those who grab land in the name of providing jobs, nor with those who have been looting Bihar,” he said.
The Jan Suraaj leader also responded to allegations regarding his funding. “We are very transparent on this issue. I earn through my consultancy. In the last three years, I have earned Rs 241 crore, out of which I have paid around Rs 31 crore as GST and Rs 20 crore as income tax. All these facts and figures are available on the website of the I-T department. Of the remaining amount I had, I donated Rs 98 crore to my party, which is making a poll debut in this Assembly election,” he shared.
Addressing concerns about his party’s ability to take on the well-established machinery of the NDA and the Mahagatbandhan, Kishor promised a surprise. “Voters of Bihar are politically very mature, and they keep their cards close to their chest until the very last moment,” he remarked.
The 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly is slated to go to polls in late October or early November.
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ED cracks down on suspected interstate liquor racket, raids 9 sites in Arunachal
Itanagar (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has carried out coordinated searches at nine locations across Arunachal Pradesh in connection with a suspected large-scale interstate liquor smuggling and money laundering network, officials said on Monday.
The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is part of an expanding probe that points to a syndicate exploiting tax differentials among states.
Officials said liquor designated for sale within Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly diverted and supplied illegally to markets in Assam and other states.
The searches, conducted earlier this week, spanned multiple towns such as Itanagar, Naharlagun, Seppa, Ziro, Daporijo, Namsai and Roing, targeting wholesale liquor businesses suspected of being linked to the network.
According to officials, the investigation stems from a series of FIRs registered by Assam Police over the illegal transportation of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh into Assam.
Inputs from the Assam Excise Department further strengthened the case. An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was registered on October 17, 2024, and later widened through an addendum incorporating 173 additional FIRs.
Earlier searches conducted on February 4 last year, at premises linked to three alleged key operators, believed to be major liquor manufacturers, had revealed indications of a well-coordinated operation.
Investigators suspect that the network functioned through a chain of manufacturers, bonded warehouses and wholesalers, while masking real ownership using proxy arrangements such as tribal partnerships and dummy licence holders.
During the latest ED operations, the agency found that several wholesale units were operating under proxy licences issued in the names of local individuals, while actual control remained with the suspected masterminds.
Financial scrutiny revealed that between 51 and 90 per cent of total credits in certain bank accounts comprised unexplained cash deposits.
Investigators also flagged a pattern of invoice splitting, with transactions deliberately kept below Rs 2 lakh to avoid scrutiny. In one instance, more than 200 invoices of identical value of Rs 1,99,554 were generated within a single month at one location.
On-ground staff reportedly confirmed that records, including stock registers and daily cash collections, were being routed to offices associated with the alleged controllers.
The ED said it seized approximately Rs 40 lakh in unaccounted cash during the searches.
In a significant finding, 14 seals, some purportedly belonging to the Excise Department of the Arunachal Pradesh government, were recovered from one of the premises. These are suspected to have been used to create fake transport permits to facilitate the unauthorised movement of liquor.
Further investigation is underway, officials added.
