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Prashant Kishor claims 3 party candidates forced to withdraw Bihar nomination, flags BJP's ‘hijacking’ trend
Taking a dig at the BJP, Prashant Kishor also said that the BJP "has developed a reputation" of forming the government in Bihar regardless of who wins.
Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday hit out at the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for starting a trend of “hijacking and intimidating candidates to pull out of the race”. The comments came after three of the JSP candidates withdrew days ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar.
Kishor said that the JSP would not be cowed down by the NDA's pressure and intimidating tactics. He said people should know why Union ministers Amit Shah and Dharmendra Pradhan were seen with his party candidates and under what circumstances they withdrew.
“Earlier, there was a common notion that whoever wins the election, the BJP will form the government. The horse trading practice is not hidden from anyone...how lawmakers are whisked away to resorts and hotels. But now, the top BJP leadership is involved in holding the people’s choice candidates of JSP, with no past baggage and a clean image, hostage. What can a non-political person trying to usher in change do if he or she has to face the home minister out of the blue and put under intense pressure to pull back?"
Kishor said that the problem with the JSP was primarily because it was questioning the status quo with a new alternative of cleaner, passionate candidates with people’s support. “Both the NDA and the INDIA bloc are not afraid of each other, as they enjoy playing with a lack of options to cater to each other. They are afraid of JSP, as they fear clean, good candidates. JSP has over 95% candidates with a clean image and from its own cadres.”
Kishor urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to check the dangerous trend. “If the candidates are not safe, how can the voters be expected to vote without fear and temptation?" He said that three of the JSP candidates have withdrawn suddenly after starting the campaign due to apparent pressure, coercion, and intimidation directly or through family and friends in Danapur (Akhilesh Kumar), Brahmapur (Satya Prakash Tiwari), and Gopalganj (Shashi Shekhar Sinha). "...240 remain to fight it out to end the corrupt regime."
He said that there was also a ploy to prevent Drig Narain Prasad, the only Tharu community candidate of JSP fielded from the general seat of Valmikinagar, from contesting. “He was a school teacher and resigned two years ago. His resignation was also accepted by the block education officer, but now that he has been declared a candidate, it is being said that his resignation has not been accepted by the district education officer. We are looking into it."
Kishor said his party would write to the ECI regarding the dangerous developments. “In Danapur, incarcerated Reet Lal Yadav of the RJD [Rashtriya Janata Dal] is in fray, while in Brahmapur, Bahubali [strongman] Hulas Pandey of the LJP [Lok Janshakti Party] is contesting." He cited rumours that Yadav’s goons abducted the JSP candidate after he left to file nomination, but he was later seen with the Shah and Pradhan. "The ECI should see it before it loses all credibility in the eyes of the people, who have an onerous task of showing their might this time with their votes to back good, clean candidates."
Kishor said that the NDA and the Opposition enjoyed the status quo for three and a half decades, keeping the people to ransom and treating them as bonded labourers in the absence of any third choice, but now they were afraid of JSP’s emergence as a spoiler of their game plan. “Patna Sahib candidate and mathematician KC Sinha is also under pressure, but he has held his ground, and I am thankful to him. Out of 243 seats, some candidates may crack under pressure, but JSP is a family of 15 million."
There was no immediate response from the NDA and the BJP.
