New Delhi: Political strategist and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor launched a scathing attack on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and the Congress party on Thursday, questioning their relevance and leadership ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections.
In an interview with ANI, Kishor alleged that Nitish Kumar has lost control over the state machinery, claiming that bureaucrats, police officers, doctors, teachers, and even bankers no longer take his directives seriously.
“Even senior officials are not listening to Nitish Kumar anymore. The police, doctors, teachers, bankers—none of them pay attention to what he says,” Kishor told ANI, adding that the chief minister is “physically tired and mentally retired”.
Kishor’s all out attack
He further claimed that the Bihar government has failed to create a conducive environment for credit growth, leading to an alarmingly low Credit-Deposit (CD) ratio in the state. Kishor challenged the state’s finance minister to explain the CD ratio or confirm that nearly Rs 2 lakh crore is transferred out of Bihar annually. “If he can do that, I’ll stop my campaign. But he doesn’t even understand basic banking data,” he said.
Kishor cited his recent interaction with officials from a bank in Saran to support his claim. “They told me Bihar is a major market for deposits, not for loans. The conditions to offer credit just don’t exist here,” he said.\
A dare to Rahul Gandhi
Turning his guns on the Congress, Kishor accused the party of lacking any independent political base in Bihar. “Congress survives only on Lalu Prasad Yadav’s mercy. For 25–30 years, it has been riding on RJD’s coattails,” he said.
Kishor dared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to contest elections in Bihar independently. “If you have political courage, contest on your own or ask for equal seats from Lalu Yadav. But we all know Congress has no real presence here,” he added.
He also lashed out at Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy—whom he described as “Rahul Gandhi’s dear chief minister”—for allegedly insulting Bihari migrant workers. “They mock Biharis in other states and then come here to lecture us,” Kishor said.
‘PM didn’t fulfill his promise’
Kishor did not spare the BJP either. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to revive the sugar mill in Motihari, a promise made during the 2014 election campaign. “I wrote that speech. Modi said he would return to drink tea made from Motihari’s sugar. Now every inch of that land has been sold off—mostly to BJP leaders,” he said.
“Yet the people of Motihari voted for BJP in three consecutive elections. The blame is not Modi’s—it lies with us, the Biharis,” he added.
With Bihar expected to go to polls in October or November, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj has announced it will contest all 243 seats, presenting itself as an alternative to both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan.
