By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Prashant Kishor, known for his transition from election strategist to politician, has officially announced the formation of his new political party, named Jan Suraaj. The party will be registered with the Election Commission under this name. At the event, Kishor, along with his supporters, raised the slogan “Jai Bihar,” expressing his excitement at the large crowd that had gathered.
Kishor revealed that the Election Commission has already recognised the party. Manoj Bharti, a Dalit leader from Madhubani, Bihar, has been appointed as the party’s working president. Bharti, an IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi alumnus, is a former IFS officer from the 1998 batch, having served as an ambassador in four countries. His leadership marks an important step for the party, which is founded on a broad ideological base that includes socialists, leftists, rightists, Gandhians, and Ambedkarites.
During his announcement, Kishor emphasised that the party’s formation came after gaining the approval of the people. He criticised the practice of voting based on caste, religion, and region, urging Biharis to think about the future of their children instead. He mentioned that this was the motivation behind his Jan Suraaj Abhiyan in Bihar. Kishor also took jabs at prominent leaders like Lalu Yadav and Narendra Modi. He sarcastically questioned whether Modi’s promise of giving 5 kg of grains had resulted in just 4 kg, while acknowledging Lalu Yadav’s role in giving the poor a voice.
Kishor also touched on the economic issues faced by Bihar, noting that Biharis had deposited ₹461,000 crore in banks, but only ₹161,000 crore had been loaned to them, with the remainder invested in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. He stressed that this needs to change, advocating that Biharis should have access to funds for business development in their own state.
Additionally, Kishor promised that men and women over 60 years of age would receive ₹2,000 per month, a scheme that would cost ₹6,000 crore and be funded from Bihar’s ₹2.5 lakh crore budget.
