Patna: Jan Suraaj party founder and political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor kickstarted his ambitious 120-day Bihar Badlaav Yatra on Tuesday, from Sitab Diara in Saran district—the birthplace of socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan (JP). The location, deeply symbolic in Bihar’s political history, set the tone for Kishor’s pointed critique of both the state and central governments.
Standing at JP’s ancestral home, Kishor expressed shock over the neglect of the site, claiming that electricity had been disconnected due to unpaid bills. “Today, electricity is cut off in Jayaprakash Narayan’s house because the electricity bill is pending, which the Bihar government has not deposited,” he said. He alleged that despite the central government allocating ₹500 crore for the development of the site in JP’s name, the condition remained dire. “Rs 500 crores were received from the central government for its development in the name of JP, yet today, the electricity has been cut off here,” he remarked.
Using the dilapidated condition of JP’s house as a metaphor for Bihar’s governance failures, Kishor said, “What is visible in JP’s house today raises questions as to why there should be a change in a state like Bihar. If you want to see and understand this, then come here and look at JP’s house.”
He also called out political leaders who routinely reference JP in their rhetoric but fail to preserve his legacy. “The people who gave him Bharat Ratna, the people who do politics in his name, they do not even know that there is darkness in JP’s house. We want to tell the government through the media that at least get a bulb installed in JP’s house,” Kishor stated, visibly agitated.
The Bihar Badlaav Yatra will traverse the length and breadth of the state till September. Political observers note that the timeline bears significance—it was in late September 2020 that the Election Commission announced the Bihar Assembly elections. Kishor’s yatra, therefore, is being widely viewed as a strategic move, possibly laying the groundwork for a broader political push in the 2025 state elections.
As the yatra begins, all eyes are on whether Prashant Kishor’s message of change will gain traction among Bihar’s electorate or remain a symbolic protest against the status quo.
