Patna: Jan Suraaj MLA from Bankipur Prashant Kishor has launched a sharp attack on the Janata Dal (United) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that changing the party’s name would make little difference as the JDU is no longer being run by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Responding to questions from the media, Kishor alleged that the party’s decisions are being taken at the behest of Amit Shah and claimed that two leaders had been appointed to implement the BJP’s agenda.
“Whether the party is called Janata Dal (United) or Janata Dal (Nitish) makes no difference,” Kishor said, arguing that Nitish Kumar no longer has real influence over the functioning of his own party.
JD (U) Leaders Back Janata Dal (Nitish) Proposal
Kishor’s remarks come amid growing support within the ruling JD (U) for a proposal to rename the party after Nitish Kumar.
During a recent ‘Nitish Samvad’ session, JD (U) National Working President Sanjay Jha suggested that the party be renamed Janata Dal (Nitish) in recognition of Nitish Kumar’s contribution.
Several JDU leaders have since backed the proposal. On Sunday, JD (U) state president Umesh Kushwaha expressed his support on social media, saying that the entire party stood behind the sentiment expressed by the national working president.
The proposal had earlier also received support from Bihar minister Shravan Kumar.
Kishor Targets Shah Over Bihar Floods
Kishor also criticised Amit Shah over the handling of floods in Bihar.
Recalling Shah’s election-time promise that, if given another opportunity, floods would be eliminated from Bihar, Kishor said the situation was very different when floods actually struck the state.
He alleged that Shah did not visit flood-affected areas and criticised both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for not issuing a statement on the devastation caused by the floods.
Kishor contrasted Bihar’s situation with Gujarat, claiming that the central government would immediately intervene if a similar flood situation occurred there.
“Bihar faces floods every year, yet no one cares,” he said, adding that political attention towards the state intensifies primarily during elections.
‘Bihar’s Political Discourse Has Changed’
Kishor also claimed that voters in Bihar had changed the state’s political narrative, pointing to the electoral outcome in Bankipur as an indication of the shift.
He said that irrespective of which party or alliance forms the government, education and employment would now remain central to political discourse in Bihar.
According to Kishor, Jan Suraaj had established this narrative through three years of political work and that no other party could reverse the change.
