Prashant Kishor to Launch New Party Jan Suraaj on October 2

Patna (Bihar), October 1: Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj and a well-known election strategist-turned-politician, is set to launch a new party on October 2. He emphasized that he does not wish to become the leader of the party. Instead, the leader will be chosen by the people who have worked for Jan Suraaj over the past 2 to 2.5 years.

Prashant Kishor stated, “Jan Suraaj will emerge as an alternative party. In Bihar, for the last 25 to 30 years, people have been voting for RJD or BJP. That compulsion should end. The alternative should not belong to any dynastic party but to all the people who wish to form the party. After campaigning for 2 to 2.5 years, on October 2, more than 1 crore people are laying the foundation of this party. On October 2, the formal announcement will be made. Its name, constitution, and provisions will be announced. I don’t wish to become the leader of the party. The leader will be based on the decision of the people who have worked for the past 2 to 2.5 years for Jan Suraaj.”

He further explained that forming the party, becoming its leader, or winning elections is not the biggest challenge. Kishor said, “The most important factor is to tell society that you have voted till now based on caste, or for 5 kg of food grains, or religion-based politics, or voted for children of leaders, but till now you have never voted for education or jobs for your children. The vote should be given for the future of their own children. I travel to villages to explain this to people. I would continue to raise awareness.”

Prashant Kishor’s focus is to bring a change in the lives of people. He said, “My aim is not to form a party and win polls but to build a Bihar such that people from other states come to Bihar for jobs.”

He criticized Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, alleging that he has handed over the entire system to a few of his advisors. Kishor said, “When JD(U) won’t even remain, what is the question about his successor? I had been a part of JD(U) and worked with Nitish Kumar. The capital of JD(U) is Nitish Kumar. When the capital ends, how would the company run on interest? It won’t continue. The party has no future. As far as advisors are concerned, ask anyone in Bihar, and they will say that there is ‘jungle raj’ of officers. How did this happen?…In the past few years, instead of his MLAs, ministers, and workers, Nitish Kumar has handed over the entire system to a few of his advisors. I wish him good health, but people say that he is not very active as far as his physical and mental conditions are concerned. So, his advisors are running everything. They are people who are not answerable to anyone because they are retired officers.”

He mentioned that Nitish Kumar’s advisors are making decisions on land surveys, liquor, and smart meters. Kishor also commented on the popularity and power of Prime Minister Modi and the NDA government, stating that their longevity depends on the upcoming elections in nine states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu in the next 2 to 2.5 years. If the results are against BJP, questions will be raised about the stability of the government. If BJP performs well, its power will remain.

He further said that BJP has a lackluster performance in Bihar and lacks a strong face and effort. “BJP’s compulsion is that they cannot remove Nitish Kumar from the post of Chief Minister. They also know that they cannot win elections in Bihar with Nitish as the Chief Minister, but they cannot do anything in Bihar as they need the help of Nitish to run the government in Delhi,” he said.

On Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishor said that Rahul Gandhi’s leadership in Congress is fully established, but he still has a long way to go to become a leader of the nation. “There has been a little improvement in Congress’s condition…Rahul Gandhi made efforts in the last 1.5-2 years, and he has benefitted through that too. His leadership in Congress is fully established…But he is now established as the leader of Congress, not that of the country. His grandmother, Indira Gandhi, faced the biggest loss of her life in 1977 – I think Congress won 154 seats at that time. This (2024 polls) is being dubbed as the biggest win of Rahul Gandhi’s life and Congress has won 99 seats. So, this is the difference. It shows that Rahul Gandhi still has a long way to go in becoming a leader of the nation,” he added.