PK COMES TO THE PARTY

The birth of a new political party, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj, has generated immense buzz in Bihar. Will his grand plans reshape the state's vibrant and utterly complex political landscape?

- SONI MISHRA

Patna is getting all decked up for Durga Puja. Pandals are being erected, and idols are being given final touches before they take centrestage in the festivities. There is a buzz of a different kind as well. And it has to do with political consultant-turned-politician Prashant Kishor launching his party, Jan Suraaj (people’s governance).

On October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, exactly two years after he had embarked on a statewide padyatra, Kishor walked about one and a half kilometres from Sheikhpura House, where he has been staying in Patna, to the Bihar Veterinary College Ground. There, before a large gathering, he launched his party, introduced its president and unveiled its constitution.

Dressed in a grey kurta and white pyjamas, Kishor, 47, addressed the gathering in Hindi—spoken in typical Bihari style, peppered with idioms and words drawn from the local dialect. He raised the slogan ‘Jai Bihar’, and repeatedly invoked Bihari pride. “The people of Bihar have decided that we will, within our lifetime, witness a Bihar that is developed. We will reclaim our past glory,” he said.

The new party, born in the ever-vibrant yet utterly complex political landscape of Bihar, has the slogan ‘Bihar ne kar li taiyari, apne bachchon ki hai bari’ (Bihar is ready to work for the future of its children). It is in sync with Kishor’s exhortation to the people to vote not on caste or communal lines but for the future of their children.

Jan Suraaj, he said, will aim to ensure world-class education for children, employment for the youth and social security for the elderly. He would link the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme with farm labour to help farmers, and give women business loans on 4 per cent interest.