NEW DELHI: Kishor’s focus on Muslim-dominated regions such as East and West Champaran, Gopalganj and Seemanchal, has made the RJD paint him as trying to divide the Muslim vote.
Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who is planning to launch his own party in Bihar in October, is facing the challenge of convincing the people to vote for his party. According to sources, the Opposition in Bihar, namely the Rashtriya Janata Dal, has launched a fierce campaign to label him as a proxy of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Political parties such as the Janata Dal United (JDU), the RJD, the BJP and Congress, among other established parties are labelling Kishor’s political formation as a mere “disturbing element” who is only there to divide votes. According to a political analyst, “He is an outsider in Bihar’s political landscape. He has not played any role in politics. He also hasn’t held any constitutional or political post till now, which may keep people from voting him for him. There will be problems, if he is unable to maintain the momentum. Moreover, all political parties are trying to keep him down in every possible way because they know if he gets traction, he may emerge like Arvind Kejriwal emerged in Delhi.”
Kishor’s focus on Muslim-dominated regions such as East and West Champaran, Gopalganj and Seemanchal, has made the RJD target him as someone who has come to divide the Muslim vote. An expert said, “Muslims want an RJD government in Bihar because they think that is the only party that represents them. Some may think that PK is doing issue-based politics, but Muslims will be very wary about voting for any formation other than the RJD.”
According to a senior leader in Bihar, RJD has understood that PK is trying to break its Muslim vote and will eventually align with the BJP: “He is focusing on Muslim regions. He didn’t even come to Magadh, he is not doing his yatra here, because there aren’t many Muslims here. This has made the upper caste Hindus too believe that he has started doing minority politics and hence they may also stay away from him.”
BJP spokesperson in Bihar, Asit Nath Tiwari said to The Sunday Guardian, “PK won’t be able to do anything. He doesn’t even have a party for now, so how will people vote for him? Everybody knows he is here to disturb the existing political equations. PK is trying to divide people on the basis of religion. But the truth is no matter who it is, Hindu or Muslim, Bharat Mata is united and everybody is looking up to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
According to political observers, if the top leadership of RJD, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, who are accused in the land for job money laundering case, are detained before the elections, that can turn the political equation in Bihar in favour of PK. The case pertains to Group-D appointments made in the West Central Zone of the Railways based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as railway minister from 2004 to 2009 in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of the RJD supremo’s family or associates.