Over 3 lakh youths register for Prashant Kishor's Baat Bihar Ki'

Patna: More than 3 lakh youths have registered for Prashant Kishor’s ambitious “Baat Bihar Ki” program which has been launched with an aim to include Bihar among the top ten developed states of the country.

The website www.baatbiharki.in and mobile number 6900869008 has also been launched for those who are willing to join the campaign.

The move is being seen as a major setback for the JD(U) which has been trying to expand its base in Bihar ahead of Assembly elections this year.

Though Prashant Kishor ruled out any “political motive” behind his ambitious programme, analysts see this as his effort to create a credible alternative force in the state ahead of Assembly elections slated to be held in November.

While announcing the program earlier this week in Patna, Mr Kishor had said that he intends to connect with more than 10 lakh youths within 100 days. He had also revealed his plan to travel across Bihar to meet the youth as part of his campaign in the coming days.

“There is no one to question Nitish Kumar’s good governance and development model. Bihar was in a poor state in 2005 and continues to remain like that even after Nitish Kumar became the chief minister. People want to know what he has done for the development of Bihar and what he would do in the next 10 years to place Bihar in top developed states of the country,” poll strategist Prashant Kishor said on Tuesday while launching his campaign.

He had also attacked the chief minister for making ideological compromises to remain in power. JD(U) president and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is currently running the state government with BJP’s support.

“I firmly believe that Gandhi and Godse cannot go together. One has to take a clear stand on the issue. Nitish Kumar keeps saying that his party can never leave the ideals of Gandhi but is now standing with those who are soft on Nathuram Godse,” Mr Kishor said on Tuesday in Patna.

Mr Kishor who had joined as JD(U)’s national vice-president  was expelled on January 29 this year for raising questions over the party’s stand on the CAA, NPR and the proposed NRC.

Mr Kishor’s comments against the chief minister didn’t go well with the ruling JD(U) and the BJP. Reacting sharply, BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal called him a “political businessman” and said, “he is like musclemen of 1990s who used to capture booths for their political masters but later decided to become politicians themselves. But this political businessman must realise that voters have changed now and they no longer vote for goons.”