Patna: Jan Suraj Party leader Prashant Kishor, who has unsettled Bihar’s political landscape with a barrage of allegations against National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders, has been summoned by a Patna court in connection with a defamation case filed by JD (U) minister Ashok Choudhary.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court directed Kishor to appear on October 17 in the case, which stems from allegations he made in June that Choudhary paid money to secure a Lok Sabha ticket for his daughter, Shambhavi Choudhary, from Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas). Shambhavi is now the MP from Samastipur.
Choudhary initially sent Kishor a legal notice before filing the defamation suit – the first such case against the strategist-turned-politician. A day earlier, former BJP state president and MP Sanjay Jaiswal also lodged a defamation case against Kishor, signalling a coordinated counterattack from NDA leaders.
At a press conference last week, Kishor intensified his assault, alleging that Choudhary had purchased land worth Rs 38 crore in Patna between his daughter’s engagement and marriage, and amassed Rs 200 crore in benami property within two years. He also accused family members, including Choudhary’s wife Neeta, daughter Shambhavi, and son-in-law Sayan Kunal, of being linked to questionable transactions.
Choudhary has responded with a Rs 100 crore defamation notice, calling Kishor’s claims “blatant lies” and insisting that all property was acquired legitimately, as disclosed in election affidavits. He also dismissed allegations of banking transactions involving his relatives as “fabricated.”
