'Had advised Nitish not to...': Prashant Kishor's big claim on chief minister's post in Bihar

Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor launched a sharp attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday, alleging that the state government is being run by "four retired bureaucrats" and that Kumar is under their influence. Kishor also claimed that he had advised Kumar not to take up the chief minister's post after his party, Janata Dal (United), won only 42 seats in the last assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, Kishor said, "I had advised Nitish Kumar not to become CM when his party had won only 42 seats in the last assembly polls. But Nitish Kumar accepted the offer and became the CM. This is the bond he has with the chair of CM." 

Kishor criticised both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav for what he described as "harming the interests" of Bihar. "People of Bihar have witnessed both of them for 30 years. Now, I am confident that we will win in Bihar in next year's assembly polls. We will have a comprehensive victory... If our party touches a mere majority figure in the 243-member assembly or gets 10-15 seats more than the majority, it will be a defeat for us. I will accept my defeat. We want a comprehensive victory," he asserted.

Kishor, who is set to launch his political party on October 2 as part of his 'Jan Suraj' initiative, vowed to dislodge Kumar from power. He accused the chief minister of running the government with the help of a small group of retired officials. "The Nitish Kumar government is being run by four retired bureaucrats. The CM is in the grip of these babus. Neither Kumar nor these bureaucrats are aware of the problems being faced by the people. Kumar has changed now. He has lost his morality and is only interested in securing the chief minister's chair," Kishor alleged.

Kishor further claimed that the 2025 Bihar assembly polls would be fought on three major issues — liquor ('sarab'), land ('survey'), and smart meters. He predicted that these issues would be the "final nail in the coffin for the current regime."

Kishor also took aim at the state's liquor ban, which has been in place since 2016. "When we form the government after the 2025 assembly polls in Bihar, we will end the liquor ban within one hour," he said. He criticized the prohibition law, calling it "fake" and claiming it leads to an annual loss of Rs 20,000 crore while allowing the "liquor mafia and officials" to profit from illegal trade.

The Jan Suraj chief said he was prepared to face any political consequences for opposing the ban, including losing the support of women voters. "Whether I get votes of women or not, I will continue speaking against the liquor ban since it is not in the interest of Bihar," he said.

Kishor accused Kumar of clinging to power, likening his attachment to the chief minister’s post to "Fevicol." He also claimed that the BJP, Kumar's former ally, and Congress, which previously supported Lalu Prasad's RJD, were both complicit in the governance failures of Bihar.

"If RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar are responsible for the destruction of Bihar, the Congress and the BJP are to be equally blamed for the same. Both parties have been supporting Lalu and Nitish respectively for the last few years."

Jan Suraaj chief also targeted the BJP, saying it would face a humiliating defeat in the coming polls as the saffron party is witnessing a leadership crisis in Bihar. "People don't know who is the present state BJP chief. Not even ten per cent of citizens can recognize him by face."