'There Was a Time When...' Why Nitish Kumar Doesn't Care About Prashant Kishor's 'Realign With BJP' Jibe

Prashant Kishor speaks for his own publicity, Nitish Kumar said on Friday as he brushed aside the election strategist’s claims that the Bihar chief minister was in touch with the BJP and may opt for a tie-up with the party again if the situation demands.

“He speaks for his own publicity and can say whatever he wants, we don’t care. He’s young. There was a time when I respected him… those whom I respected have disrespected me,” Kumar said about his one-time ally.

Kishor, who is on a padyatra in Bihar to “change the system” in what is widely seen as a precursor to his fresh entry into active politics, told news agency PTI that Kumar has kept a line of communication open with the BJP through JD(U) MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh.

“People who are thinking that Nitish Kumar is actively building a national alliance against the BJP will be surprised to know that he has kept a line open with the BJP. He is in touch with the BJP through his party MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh ji,” he said. Kishor also suggested that Harivansh has not been asked to resign from his Rajya Sabha post for this reason even though the JD(U) has severed ties with the BJP.

“People must keep this in mind that whenever such circumstances arise, he can go back to the BJP and work with it,” he said.

The Janata Dal (United) slammed Kishor, with its spokesperson KC Tyagi noting that the Bihar chief minister has publicly announced that he will never again in his life join hands with the BJP.

“We strongly refute his claims. Kumar is in active politics for over 50 years and Kishor for six months. Kishor has made such a misleading comment to spread confusion,” Tyagi said.

Kishor was in the JD(U) for less than 18 months before being expelled from the party in 2020 for his strident criticism of Kumar for his support to the BJP over contentious measures like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Kumar was then a BJP ally.

The JD(U) leader recently snapped his party’s ties with the BJP and joined hands with the RJD-Congress-Left alliance in Bihar and has vowed to work to build an alliance against the saffron party at the national level. A united opposition will topple the BJP from power at the Centre, he has asserted.

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