Ruling NDA Plays Down Prashant Kishor–RCP Merger, Labels Duo ‘Political Germs’

Patna: Former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha- Secular (HAM- S) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi has launched a scathing attack on Jan Suraj party founder Prashant Kishor and former Union Minister RCP Singh, following their political merger on Sunday. Reacting to the merger of Singh’s short-lived political outfit with Kishor’s Jan Suraaj, Manjhi likened the duo to “germs and viruses” aiming to “poison Bihar.”

“Prashant Kishor and RCP Singh think they can destroy the public, but they forget the people of Bihar have a strong antivirus – the NDA,” Manjhi said on Sunday, referencing the ruling National Democratic Alliance. “Both are politically unsuccessful and lack public support.”

The former CM also criticised the timing of the merger. “It’s laughable that RCP Singh, who floated his own party merely six months ago, has already merged it with a party just seven months old,” he said. “This proves that both are driven by personal interest, not public service.”

Opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was more restrained, implying that the merger was orchestrated behind the scenes. “They were both part of JD (U) before. Everyone knows who’s pulling the strings,” he said. JD (U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar echoed Manjhi’s sentiment, branding the duo “poisonous germs of politics” and accusing them of betraying Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

He went on to challenge RCP Singh to contest elections in Nalanda, pledging to quit politics if Singh received more votes than a local village chief. The merger has added fuel to the already simmering political atmosphere in Bihar ahead of the 2025 assembly elections.