Ritika
Patna. Janata Dal (United) President Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh (JDU chief Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh) on Saturday alleged that election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor was trying to make inroads in Bihar. Working for the party (BJP). Rejecting Kishor’s claim of turning down the “offer” of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Singh said Kishor is “not a political worker but a businessman” who resorts to “marketing” tactics.
The JD(U) president remarked with reference to the party’s former national president RCP Singh, “We know that Prashant Kishor has been working for the BJP for some time. A BJP agent was recently caught during magisterial checking.”
Singh said, “BJP is relying on conspiracies in Bihar. Earlier she used RCP Singh and now she is using Prashant Kishor. But we are cautious. We will not allow these conspiracies to succeed.”
Bihar | Prashant Kishore (poll strategist) is not a political person. He’s a businessman & does marketing to increase his business. No offer was given to him (to join JDU). He himself wished to meet the CM…: JDU chief Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh pic.twitter.com/JQSAqKH6EP
— ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2022
A meeting of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prashant Kishor was held a few days before the JD(U) president’s remarks. After this Kishor claimed that he had a candid talk with the Chief Minister of Bihar. Kishor said that he told the Chief Minister that prohibition, which is one of his most favorite steps, has been a complete failure in the state and it should be reviewed. Kishor recently launched the ‘Jana Suraj’ campaign, under which he will begin a 3,500-km-long state-wide ‘padyatra’ next month. Kishor also claimed to have turned down a special offer from Kumar.
Singh claimed, “Prashant Kishor wanted to meet Nitish Kumar after the new political situation was created in Bihar. He spoke to the chief minister, who asked him to speak to the party president first. So he came to meet me in New Delhi.”
Bihar | A time of 4pm was set for him to meet the CM, but 2 hours before that, he told the media that he’s called but he won’t go, CM will wait. This is all a part of marketing: JDU national president Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh pic.twitter.com/bxDiGusCiy
— ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2022
The JD(U) president claimed, “I told him that his return to the party could be considered, if he agreed to follow the party’s discipline. He then took an appointment with the Chief Minister, who agreed to meet him and gave the time. But, as part of his ‘marketing’ strategy, he told the media that he has been called to the chief minister’s residence, but he will not go.”
Singh said, “Later, after Pavan Varma met Nitish Kumar, Verma spoke with Kishor. Kishor again expressed his desire to meet the Chief Minister and they met. But why would anyone offer him anything? Who is he?”
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It is noteworthy that Kishor came into limelight in 2014 when his company iPAC took over the remarkably successful campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat and the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. A year later, Kumar took the services of Kishor’s company, when assembly elections were held in Bihar. The alliance with Kumar’s arch-rival Lalu Prasad and the Congress led the Grand Alliance toppled the BJP, despite the prime minister’s intense campaign.
Kishor was later appointed as an advisor to the Chief Minister of Bihar. It was a cabinet minister rank post. However, during this time Kishor continued to work professionally for other political figures. When Kumar was the JD(U) national president in 2018, he inducted Kishor into the party and promoted him to the post of national vice-president within a few weeks. However, Kishor’s outspokenness against the amended Citizenship Act (CAA)-National Population Register (NPR)-National Register of Citizens (NRC) led him to be expelled from the party in 2020. (agency)
