New Delhi: Campaigning against corruption has been a hallmark strategy of the BJP in many states. Its political rivals including Arvind Kejriwal, Bhupesh Baghel, Hemant Soren and Lalu Yadav bore the brunt of this game plan. But now, there’s a new kid on the block, at least in Bihar, who may have appropriated this formula—Prashant Kishor, aka PK.
The Jan Suraaj party leader, with an eye on the November assembly polls, is now systematically attacking BJP and NDA leaders alike, with allegations of corruption and scams flying thick and fast. Through his crusade against corruption, much like Arvind Kejriwal in 2013, PK is positioning himself as the ‘Mr Clean’ of Bihar politics.
His strategy seems to be working so far, with the BJP, usually the one attacking other parties on corruption, now on the back foot in Bihar. In recent months, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal, and JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary have all been in PK’s crosshairs.
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Latest target: BJP’s Sanjay Jaiswal
Kishor’s latest target is Sanjay Jaiswal, MP and former BJP state president. Kishor has labelled Jaiswal a “petrol thief”, alleging that he has embezzled crores by fraudulently billing the Bettiah Municipal Corporation, charging double for the diesel filled in municipal vehicles at his fuel pump. Moreover, Kishor claims, Jaiswal obstructed the construction of a flyover in Bettiah, as it would adversely affect business to his fuel pump.
Jaiswal has responded to the allegations saying that the fuel pump belonged to his relatives, not him.
“Kishor is accusing BJP leaders on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav, aiming to undermine BJP votes to benefit Lalu Prasad Yadav. There are allegations that PK has promised to lift the liquor ban within one hour of taking oath because he is being funded by the liquor lobby.”
First target: Nitish confidant Ashok Choudhary
PK’s first target was JD(U) leader and Nitish Kumar confidant Ashok Choudhary. He accused the Bihar Minister for Rural Works of purchasing a Lok Sabha ticket from Chirag Paswan’s party for his daughter, Shambhavi.
Following Kishor’s allegations, Ashok Choudhary sent a defamation notice to the Jan Suraaj founder. Kishor persisted with his allegations, and the two are now locked in a court battle.
A month ago, Prashant Kishor once again accused Ashok Choudhary of “dynasty politics” after reports emerged of the appointment of Choudhary’s son-in-law to a state commission.
Kishor said, “Ashok Choudhary is a leader across parties. His father, Mahavir Choudhary, was affiliated with the Congress, he himself is part of JD(U), his daughter Shambhavi is with the LJP [Ram Vilas], and now, his son-in-law has been appointed a member of Bihar’s Dharmik Nyas Board on the RSS quota.”
Target number 2: BJP’s Mangal Pandey
Kishor’s second target was Mangal Pandey, Bihar’s Minister of Health and Law and BJP in-charge for West Bengal. After a minor rape victim died due to alleged medical neglect at the Patna Medical College, Kishor attacked Pandey for what he termed the deteriorating health infrastructure in Bihar.
The Jan Suraaj Party shared images of a primary health centre in Mangal Pandey’s village, aimed at embarrassing him. The party also organised protests and held a candlelight march after the Dalit child’s death, keeping up the pressure on both Pandey and the BJP.
Moreover, Kishor released documents purportedly showing that Pandey accepted funds from BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal to purchase a flat in Delhi. In return, Pandey allegedly granted deemed university status to a medical college in which Jaiswal had huge stakes, the Jan Suraaj founder alleged.
Target number 3: BJP’s Dilip Jaiswal
In August, Prashant Kishor held a press conference where he accused Mangal Pandey and Dilip Jaiswal of profiting from the procurement of 1,200 ambulances. Kishor alleged that the health ministry purchased 1,000 ambulances at a price of Rs 19.58 lakh each in 2022, but two years later, it acquired an additional 222 ambulances at a cost of Rs 27.47 lakh each. In contrast, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Odisha procured similar ambulances for Rs 12 lakh and Rs 16 lakh, respectively.
Mangal Pandey has clarified that the ambulance procurement issue is currently under judicial review.
In July, Kishor accused Dilip Jaiswal of unlawfully acquiring a medical college. He said in a press conference, “Dilip Jaiswal has not only taken control of a Sikh minority college, Mata Gujri Memorial Medical College, but has also maintained his control over it for 25 to 30 years. He systematically expelled the entire family of the institution’s founder and ultimately assumed the role of director, having begun his career as a clerk.”
Kishor also said that Dilip Jaiswal is related to Lalu’s wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, and her children have studied at Jaiswal’s medical college; this is why the RJD has never questioned matters concerning Jaiswal, he contended.
After Kishor’s press conference, Dilip Jaiswal said on social media: “Since 6 July, allegations are being made against me to tarnish my image as part of a well-planned political conspiracy. Facts are being presented in a distorted manner so that the public can be misled. But I want to say clearly that all the allegations made against me are false, baseless and motivated for the purpose of political gain. I have full faith in the constitutional institutions of the country. Reality is based on facts, not on rumours.”
Sharpest attack on Bihar Dy CM
In July, Prashant Kishor made serious allegations against Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, claiming that he had entirely reinvented his identity.
Kishor said: “I possess all the documentation related to Samrat Choudhary. He did not pass the seventh grade. His actual name is Rakesh Kumar. The court had revoked his membership in the Legislative Assembly for submitting a false affidavit as an MLA. It is quite amusing to observe that this person has reemerged under a new identity, Rakesh Kumar alias Samrat Chaudhary. Now, Rakesh Kumar has disappeared, leaving behind Samrat Chaudhary. If you see his affidavits in the past two elections, it is remarkable that his age has increased to 48 in just ten years. While our age naturally progresses by ten years, his age has increased by 38 years. In a mere decade, he transitioned from being in the seventh grade to obtaining a D.Litt.”
Following these allegations, the BJP lodged a complaint against Prashant Kishor, accusing him of damaging the reputation of Samrat Choudhary.
The BJP held a press conference and criticised Kishor for allegedly stealing data and the campaign theme of ‘Bihar Ki Baat’ from a Congress worker. Although Samrat Choudhary did not directly confront Prashant Kishor, he referred to him as “big brother”. Similarly, Mangal Pandey also did not directly address Prashant Kishor.
At several rallies, Kishor has alleged that the BJP is more corrupt than Lalu Yadav. “It is widely believed in Bihar that Lalu is corrupt, but the BJP is an even bigger thief than the RJD. They indulge in corruption behind closed doors. This isn’t the BJP of Govindacharya and Kailashpati Mishra; this is the BJP of thugs and corrupt individuals.”
‘Kishor has nothing to lose’
One Bihar BJP leader said: “Kishor has nothing to lose, he is branding himself as a crusader against corruption, even though he does not have the kind of following Kejriwal had. But he is trying to discredit ruling NDA leaders. People’s perception of the RJD is already quite poor. PK has never been in power, so there cannot be charges of corruption against him.”
“He gets eyeballs and traction, but will only attract those who have been denied tickets by other parties,” the Bihar BJP leader added.
BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel said, “In Bihar, it is a bipolar contest between the RJD alliance and the NDA alliance. Prashant Kishor will only get a small percentage of votes by confusing the people of Bihar. He is making baseless allegations to remain in the news, nothing more.”
Professor Rakesh Ranjan of the political science department of Patna University said: “Prashant Kishor is trying to take away aspirational voters and middle class voters who usually vote for the NDA. Tejashvi Yadav’s vote bank will not vote for Prashant Kishor, knowing his chances of defeating the BJP are scant. But NDA voters can get carried away somewhat, that is why he increasingly attacking NDA more than the RJD. But in the reality of Bihar politics, the votes are polarised into two blocks and their vote bank is intact.”
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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