Jan Suraaj to contest all 243 seats in Bihar, says Prashant Kishor

Purnea (Bihar), Sep 12 (PTI) Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Thursday said Jan Suraaj, which is set to become a political party in less than a month from now, will contest "all 243 seats" in the Bihar assembly polls due next year.

Addressing a press conference in Purnea district, Kishor said the party will be formed on October 2 "with active support of at least one crore people of the state, which would leave no need for any alliance".

"Let me make it clear that Jan Suraaj will contest all 243 seats, not one less", said Kishor, who has in his earlier avatar handled poll campaigns of leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal.

A known critic of the much touted prohibition law in Bihar, the IPAC founder said the new party would "scrap the ban on liquor within an hour of forming its government".

"The prohibition law is nothing but a sham (dhakosla) on part of Nitish Kumar," he said.

He criticised the current prohibition as ineffective, claiming that it has led to illegal home deliveries of alcohol and deprived the state of Rs 20,000 crore in potential excise revenue.

Kishor accused politicians and bureaucrats of benefiting from the illegal liquor trade.

The 47-year-old said he is a believer in "kabiliyat ki rajniti (politics of merit)" and would not shy away from speaking against prohibition "like other parties which fear that doing so may cost them votes of women".

Kishor said he saw Nitish Kumar and his predecessor Lalu Prasad as responsible for Bihar's plight though Congress and BJP too shared the blame.

"The Congress turned a blind eye towards the misdeeds of Lalu Prasad since his RJD was a valuable ally of the previous UPA government. It helped him remain in power though the RJD never had a majority in assembly", recounted Kishor.

He pointed out that "same is the case with Nitish Kumar whose JD(U) has never won a clear mandate. The BJP, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is so fond of splitting other parties to form its own government in Maharashtra, remains content with playing second fiddle to Nitish Kumar in Bihar".

Asked about Rahul Gandhi's statement on reservations, which has drawn flak from the BJP, Kishor quipped, "I wonder if the Congress leader remains mindful of what he is saying. If what has been reported is correct, then he seems to be going back on the stance he had adopted during the recent Lok Sabha polls which saw him pressing the demand for caste census so vehemently". PTI