Patna: Political strategist and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on “cheap data” during a campaign stop in Raghopur, Bihar, framing the issue instead around employment and migration.
Speaking in Simrahi, Raghopur block, en route to Madhepura after addressing an election rally in Narpatganj, Araria, Kishor appealed to voters to consider their priorities in the upcoming state election. “Modiji has said he is providing cheap data. Hey, Biharis don’t want cheap data; they want their son back who has gone to Gujarat. They want employment in the state and an end to migration,” he said.
Kishor further argued that voters in Bihar have long been trapped between political choices made out of fear, citing decades of alternating support between the BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. “For the past 30 years, the public has been left without a choice. Those who voted for the BJP and Nitish Kumar out of fear of Lalu Prasad Yadav, and then for Lalu out of fear of the BJP and Nitish Kumar, now have a choice,” he said. He warned that if people failed to act, they could face “five more years” of the same leadership.
Kishor also took aim at Nitish Kumar, stating, “Uncle is old now, he needs a break.” The Jan Suraaj Party is contesting all 243 seats in Bihar, with the campaign intensifying ahead of the state’s two-phase elections. The first phase is scheduled for November 6, the second on November 11, and results are expected on November 14.
