No political party yet, Prashant Kishor to go on 'padyatra' from October 2

Vibha Sharma

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New Delhi, May 5

Taking potshot at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his predecessor Lalu Prasad Yadav of the RJD, political strategist Prashant Kishor today said he would undertake a 3,000 km ‘padyatra’ from Champaran on October 2 to connect with people of the “poorest and most backward state” that needs a “new direction”.

Ducks Congress issue

Prashant Kishor avoided a question on whether his parleys with Congress had ended for good or were merely on pause. “A trust deficit is between equals. I am hardly Rahul Gandhi’s equal,” he said.

“Even after the 30-year rule of Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar, Bihar is the most backward and poorest state of the country. If Bihar wants to develop, it cannot walk on the path it has been walking for the past 10-15 years. It needs a new direction,” Kishor told the media in Patna.

While he brushed aside speculation of launching a new political party, Kishor left a door open saying that if a political party was formed it would not be under his name. Kishor said he would travel across Bihar, meeting people to understand their grievances and issues.

‘Jan Suraaj’ is about the development of his state, he said, adding that 17,000-18,000 people had been identified and he would hold discussions with them over the next few months.

“If they think that a political platform needs to be launched to achieve the desired goals, we will decide it then. However, it will not be Prashant Kishor’s party, it will be people’s party,” he said.

“We should be able to complete the process by August-September,” he said, adding “a new thinking and new attempt is needed to transform Bihar”.