NEW DELHI: As Bihar braces for a high-stakes assembly election later this year, political sparring has intensified with Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor taking direct aim at Rahul Gandhi , the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
In a sharp remark, Kishor questioned Gandhi’s commitment to Bihar and accused the Congress of decades-long neglect and tokenism.
In a recent interview with news agency ANI, Kishor, who has been traversing Bihar’s rural interiors as part of his Jan Suraaj campaign, threw a gauntlet at the Congress leader, daring him to spend just a single night in a village in the state to demonstrate any real grassroots engagement.
"Rahul ji keeps coming and going here, but doesn't really undertake any Yatra. If Rahul Gandhi has ever spent even one night in a village in Bihar, let us know. If he can spend just one night in a village, we'll accept it," Kishor said.
" Tum Delhi mein bethkar Bihariyo ke naam par haste ho aur yaha bethkar gyan dete ho (You sit in Delhi, laugh at Biharis then come here to lecture us)," he added, underscoring what he described as a condescending attitude from the Congress high command.
Kishor also turned his fire on Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy for allegedly disparaging Biharis, demanding an apology and criticising the Congress party for enabling such attitudes.
"In Telangana, their chief minister is Revanth Reddy, it's been two years since he became CM. Before that, he was in the TDP (Telugu Desam Party), and before that, he was in the RSS and the BJP. After becoming chief minister, he officially stated that doing labour is in the DNA of Biharis. Biharis are born to do labour work. Why did he say this? Because most of his rival KCR's officers had a Bihar background. So he was implying that Telangana is in a bad state because Biharis are running it. And to justify that, he added another statement saying it's in Biharis' DNA to do labour, and that's why KCR appointed them as bureaucrats," Kishor said.
" Aap Bihariyo ko kehte ho ki vo paida hue hai mazduri karne ke liye aur phir yaha aakar bada-bada gyan doge (You say Biharis are born to do labour work, and then come here and preach to us?)" he told ANI in an interview.
Recalling an unfulfilled promise from decades ago, Kishor also invoked former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s 1989 commitment to turn Bihar into a development hub.
“Where did that money go? Congress remained in power afterwards, so tell us, what did you do for Bihar?” he asked.
He further demanded that Rahul Gandhi issue an apology for what he called the “historic injustice” inflicted upon Biharis by the Congress.
"If Congress apologised for the injustice done to Sikhs, then Rahul Gandhi should apologise to Biharis as well before campaigning in Bihar. If Biharis are only born for labour, then why are you coming here? Just go campaign in Telangana and get your votes there," Kishor said.
Taking a dig at Congress’s electoral relevance in the state, Kishor said its future in Bihar rests entirely on “Lalu ji’s charity”.
"Congress has no real existence in Bihar. For the past 25-30 years, it's been a party that just carries Lalu ji's bag. If Rahul Gandhi truly has political strength, let him contest elections in Bihar on his own. Try demanding 40 per cent of the seats from Lalu ji and see what happens. In Bihar, Congress dances to Lalu ji's tune. Whatever he decides, that's what happens," he said.
The Bihar assembly elections are expected to be held in October or November this year, though the Election Commission of India is yet to announce the official dates.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), will look to retain power.
On the other side, the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, consisting of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and the Left parties, aims to unseat CM Nitish Kumar.
Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party is positioning itself as a third alternative, aiming to disrupt the traditional bipolar contest in the state.
In the current 243-member Bihar assembly, the NDA holds a majority with 131 seats -- BJP has 80 MLAs, JD(U) 45, HAM(S) 4, and support from two Independents. The INDIA bloc has a strength of 111, led by the RJD with 77 MLAs, Congress with 19, and the Left parties accounting for the rest.
In a sharp remark, Kishor questioned Gandhi’s commitment to Bihar and accused the Congress of decades-long neglect and tokenism.
In a recent interview with news agency ANI, Kishor, who has been traversing Bihar’s rural interiors as part of his Jan Suraaj campaign, threw a gauntlet at the Congress leader, daring him to spend just a single night in a village in the state to demonstrate any real grassroots engagement.
"Rahul ji keeps coming and going here, but doesn't really undertake any Yatra. If Rahul Gandhi has ever spent even one night in a village in Bihar, let us know. If he can spend just one night in a village, we'll accept it," Kishor said.
" Tum Delhi mein bethkar Bihariyo ke naam par haste ho aur yaha bethkar gyan dete ho (You sit in Delhi, laugh at Biharis then come here to lecture us)," he added, underscoring what he described as a condescending attitude from the Congress high command.
Kishor also turned his fire on Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy for allegedly disparaging Biharis, demanding an apology and criticising the Congress party for enabling such attitudes.
"In Telangana, their chief minister is Revanth Reddy, it's been two years since he became CM. Before that, he was in the TDP (Telugu Desam Party), and before that, he was in the RSS and the BJP. After becoming chief minister, he officially stated that doing labour is in the DNA of Biharis. Biharis are born to do labour work. Why did he say this? Because most of his rival KCR's officers had a Bihar background. So he was implying that Telangana is in a bad state because Biharis are running it. And to justify that, he added another statement saying it's in Biharis' DNA to do labour, and that's why KCR appointed them as bureaucrats," Kishor said.
" Aap Bihariyo ko kehte ho ki vo paida hue hai mazduri karne ke liye aur phir yaha aakar bada-bada gyan doge (You say Biharis are born to do labour work, and then come here and preach to us?)" he told ANI in an interview.
Recalling an unfulfilled promise from decades ago, Kishor also invoked former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s 1989 commitment to turn Bihar into a development hub.
“Where did that money go? Congress remained in power afterwards, so tell us, what did you do for Bihar?” he asked.
He further demanded that Rahul Gandhi issue an apology for what he called the “historic injustice” inflicted upon Biharis by the Congress.
"If Congress apologised for the injustice done to Sikhs, then Rahul Gandhi should apologise to Biharis as well before campaigning in Bihar. If Biharis are only born for labour, then why are you coming here? Just go campaign in Telangana and get your votes there," Kishor said.
Taking a dig at Congress’s electoral relevance in the state, Kishor said its future in Bihar rests entirely on “Lalu ji’s charity”.
"Congress has no real existence in Bihar. For the past 25-30 years, it's been a party that just carries Lalu ji's bag. If Rahul Gandhi truly has political strength, let him contest elections in Bihar on his own. Try demanding 40 per cent of the seats from Lalu ji and see what happens. In Bihar, Congress dances to Lalu ji's tune. Whatever he decides, that's what happens," he said.
The Bihar assembly elections are expected to be held in October or November this year, though the Election Commission of India is yet to announce the official dates.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), will look to retain power.
On the other side, the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, consisting of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and the Left parties, aims to unseat CM Nitish Kumar.
Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party is positioning itself as a third alternative, aiming to disrupt the traditional bipolar contest in the state.
In the current 243-member Bihar assembly, the NDA holds a majority with 131 seats -- BJP has 80 MLAs, JD(U) 45, HAM(S) 4, and support from two Independents. The INDIA bloc has a strength of 111, led by the RJD with 77 MLAs, Congress with 19, and the Left parties accounting for the rest.
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