NDA Definitely On Its Way Out; Nitish Not To Return As CM: Prashant Kishor

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Wednesday donned the political strategist’s hat to predict a certain defeat for the ruling NDA in Bihar, citing the inability of the BJP-led coalition to finalise seats and candidates.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, Kishor, who recently said the JD(U) would struggle to win even "25 seats" in the 243-strong assembly, claimed that the picture has only grown bleaker for the party headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

"The NDA is definitely on its way out and Nitish Kumar will not return as chief minister", asserted Kishor, who has worked closely with the JD(U) supremo, both as a poll analyst and later, for a brief period, as a party colleague. "You do not need to be a psephologist to fathom what is in store for the JD(U).

In the last assembly polls, Chirag Paswan staged a revolt just a few days ahead of the announcement of elections and fielded candidates, many of whom were inconsequential, against nominees of Kumar's party, causing its tally to crash to 43", recalled Kishor. He also claimed that there was "complete chaos" in NDA, and it was still unclear which seats the BJP would contest and where the JD(U) wants to field its candidates. "The situation is no better in the INDIA bloc either.

There is a never-ending tiff between RJD and the Congress. And nobody knows if former state minister Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party is still by their side", claimed Kishor.

Kishor vows action against 100 most corrupt politicians, bureaucrats if voted to power

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Wednesday asserted that if voted to power in Bihar, his party will crack down on "100 most corrupt politicians and bureaucrats", and have their ill-gotten wealth confiscated within the first month.

Kishor also alleged that corruption was rampant under the NDA government, even though the BJP-led coalition did not have as bad a reputation as the RJD headed by Lalu Prasad. "We have promised to rid Bihar of land mafia, sand mining mafia, and all other types of mafia. To this end, we have made six promises, including the scrapping of the bogus (farzi) prohibition policy", said Kishor.

Within a month of forming the government, a law will be made to identify 100 most corrupt politicians and bureaucrats of the state, who, "I am sure, must be conducting pujas to ensure that we do not come to power". "These corrupt politicians and bureaucrats will be prosecuted and their ill-gotten wealth will be confiscated and deposited in the state exchequer, where it could be used for Bihar's growth, which has remained stunted because of their misdeeds," he said.

Responding to a query, "I do not think that if charges are framed against Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav in the 'land for jobs scam', it is news. Everybody knows what they stand for. The case is nothing more than a blot on an already dirty piece of cloth". "But the real news is the corruption in the NDA.

Samrat Choudhary enjoys the Deputy Chief Minister's post despite being an accused in a case relating to the killing of seven persons. He is not out on bail nor has he been acquitted. He escaped trial by furnishing a fake certificate that showed him to be a minor at the time of the massacre," alleged Kishor, who has in the recent past made serious charges against several Bihar ministers, both from the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U).

"These people wrap a blanket around themselves to hide the ghee that they are consuming secretly (kambal odh ke ghee pinaa)", said the Buxar-born leader, using a famous Hindi proverb. Kishor, who claimed to have "no ambitions" to become the next chief minister of his home state, nonetheless, insisted that "60 per cent" of its people were yearning for a change.

"For years, a section of people kept voting for the BJP out of fear that Lalu may be back in power. On the other hand, Muslims kept voting for Lalu out of fear of the BJP. Their reason was that there is no option. This time, they have an alternative", added Kishor.

Replying to another query, he said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have no stakes whatsoever in the Bihar polls. A reason why they are content with occasionally visiting the state and indulging in slander against each other. They are not suffering like we are". "Lalu and Nitish may have been directly responsible for the plight of Bihar, which continues to be at the rock bottom in terms of development. But the Congress and the BJP must also share the blame, as these national parties kept backing inefficient regional leaders, just to ensure that they could get a few Lok Sabha seats from the state", said Kishor.