Prashant Kishor questions Nitish Kumar’s ideology, governance style

Kishore debunked Kumar’s earlier claims that he was inducted into the party on the recommendation of Union home minister Amit Shah.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who was sacked from the Janata Dal (United) last month, on Tuesday for the first time gave his reasons for the falling out with his former boss, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Kishor debunked Kumar’s earlier claims that he was inducted into the party on the recommendation of Union home minister Amit Shah.

“I have been with Nitishji since 2014 when he was left with just two MPs, but I still had huge respect for him. He treated me like his son, and I looked up to him like my father. If he wants to be happy by telling a lie about me, which I refuted the same day through my tweet, I gift him that happiness,” he said.

Kishor also seemed to question his style of governance and ideological dalliance in an apparent bid to build a new narrative without disclosing his own political leanings.

“My political ideology is egalitarian humanism rooted in the Gandhian philosophy. I have my own thoughts and ideas and I cannot be defined by Nitishji or anyone else. I have worked with many leaders and parties opposed to the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] since the 2014 Lok Sabha election,” he said.

Kishor cited Kumar’s ideological muddle by mentioning Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse and the CM’s alleged hunger for power.

“But the fact is that he cannot remain with Godse supporters and still claim to be championing the Gandhian ideology,” he said.

Kishor said even during the Lok Sabha election last year, he had differences with Kumar over his “ideological positioning” as well his “positioning in the [National Democratic] Alliance”’ and that the two often discussed them at great length.

“There is a world of difference between Nitishji of 2005 and 2019. For me, Nitishji with two MPs in 2014 commanded a far greater respect. He is a CM representing over 10 crore Biharis. He cannot be a manager just to prolong his hold on power,” he added.

Kishor reiterated that he would like to urge Bihar not to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). Kumar has held divergent views over the CAA and NRC, echoing his ideological and political compulsions.

“I welcome Nitishji and Ramvilas Paswan’s statements. They have also raised questions about certain aspects of the NPR. As far as the CAA is concerned, I will accept it the day anyone gets citizenship under this Act,” he added.

In his first interaction with the media in Patna since he was expelled from the JD(U), Kishor said he was not looking to get into any alliance to win or lose elections. Instead, he spoke about launching a campaign called Baat Bihar Ki that seeks to tap the state’s youth power.

“I will work to encourage the youth who could take Bihar forward and those who have the dream to change it to be among the top 10 states in the next decade. I have a long- and medium-term plan. Baat Bihar Ki will be launched on February 20 that seeks to involve 1,000 committed youth from across the state,” he added.

In a veiled reference to Kumar, Kishor said that Bihar needed a leader “who could speak his mind, have the vision to take the state among the top 10 states and one who does not make compromises for power and a few seats”.

“Had there been development in Bihar, one could have found reasons behind the compromises Nitishji made. Did Bihar get special status? Nitishji requested with folded hands before PM Modi for Patna University to be accorded central university status. But even that was also rejected,” he added.

Kishor’s comment touched a raw nerve with his erstwhile party colleagues. JD(U) MP RCP Sinha hit back at Kishor, saying Kumar did not require any certificate from anyone. “People of Bihar know how much Nitishji has worked to change Bihar in the last 15 years,” he said.

JD(U) spokesperson Ajay Alok said that Kishor had used the name of Kumar to establish his company, IPAC. “He has never been a political leader. On the one hand, he calls Nitish Kumar a father-like figure and on the other hand criticises him,” he added.

The BJP chose to downplay Kishor’s statements. “We are not authorised to speak on anything and everything. Kishor is, after all, not a big political figure,” said a BJP leader who did not want to be identified.