New Delhi: Because the Bihar meeting elections draw close to, tensions are rising between the BJP and political strategist Prashant Kishore. Kishore, who just lately launched his political get together, Jan Suraaj, has intensified his criticism of the ruling BJP, accusing its leaders of fraud, whereas the BJP has filed an FIR claiming he was tarnishing the BJP’s picture and accused him of stealing information and concepts in the course of the 2020 meeting elections.

After principally ignoring him for a while, BJP leaders have begun brazenly labeling Kishore as a “political thief and fraud”. This shift comes after Kishore systematically focused varied BJP leaders.

---

Additionally learn: NDA vs JSP vs Mahagathbandhan—Bihar elections are a litmus check for previous & new politics

---

‘BJP extra corrupt than even Lalu’

Increasing on his allegations of corruption towards Bihar’s Well being Minister Mangal Pandey, Kishore said: “In February 2022, the Well being Division issued a young for the acquisition of 1,250 ambulances at a complete value of Rs 200 crore. Whereas the Bihar authorities bought 466 ambulances for Rs 19,58,257 every, the bidding course of raised important considerations. Solely two firms, Tata Motors and Drive, had been manufacturing these ambulances. Nonetheless, Tata Motors was excluded from the bidding because of a clause stipulating that the ambulances will need to have air con solely within the affected person seating space, whereas Tata claimed their design offered AC in all the automobile. The federal government finally selected Drive’s ambulances.

“Within the brief span of three years, the price of these ambulances surged from Rs 19 lakh to Rs 28,47,580. The bid paperwork talked about that firms had been required to have service centres in each district, but Drive lacks such centres throughout the state. Apparently, their web site lists the ambulance value at Rs 21 lakh, and Odisha acquired related ambulances at Rs 18 lakh every. Even Uttar Pradesh managed to purchase 2,500 ambulances for simply Rs 12 lakh every. This raises essential questions concerning the inflated prices in Bihar, which seem to profit solely Mangal Pandey,” he added.

Kishore additional alleged that “Mangal Pandey obtained a Rs 25 lakh bribe from Dilip Jaiswal by means of RTGS for the acquisition of a flat in Dwarka. In his capability as well being minister, Pandey then awarded Jaiswal, the BJP state president, a medical school in Kisangani, granting it deemed college standing.”

Prashant Kishore has raised critical questions concerning the new Chief Secretary of Bihar, Praty Amrit, who beforehand served because the Principal Secretary for Well being. Kishore challenged him relating to the controversial buy of 12 lakh ambulances, which had been allegedly purchased at a value of Rs 27 lakh every. He urged Amrit to make clear the main points surrounding this ambulance acquisition.

Kishore claimed, “It’s extensively believed in Bihar that Lalu is corrupt, however the BJP is a good greater thief than the RJD. They take pleasure in corruption behind closed doorways. This isn’t the BJP of Govindacharya and Kailashpati Mishra; that is the BJP of thugs and corrupt people.”

In July, Kishore accused the BJP’s state president and former income minister of seizing a medical school by means of deceitful means. In a press convention, he said, “Dilip Jaiswal has not solely taken management of the Sikh minority school, Mata Gujri Memorial Medical School, however has maintained his grip on it for 25 to 30 years. He systematically ousted all the household of the establishment’s founder and ultimately grew to become the director, beginning his profession as a clerk.” Kishore identified that Jaiswal’s fraudulent rise from clerk to director took 25 years, noting that Rabri Devi and Jaiswal are siblings, and their members of the family have studied at Jaiswal’s medical school, which is why the RJD has by no means raised questions on points relating to Jaiswal.

In July, Prashant Kishore leveled critical accusations towards Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, alleging that he submitted a false affidavit, which resulted within the cancellation of his election because of discrepancies relating to his age.

Kishore said: “I’ve all of the documentation regarding Samrat Choudhary. He failed within the seventh grade. The true title is Rakesh Kumar. The courtroom had annulled his membership of the Legislative Meeting for submitting a false affidavit as an MLA. It’s amusing to see that this particular person resurfaced below a brand new id, Rakesh Kumar alias Samrat Chaudhary. Now, Rakesh Kumar has vanished, leaving solely Samrat Chaudhary. Inspecting his affidavits from the final two elections, it’s astonishing that his age jumped to 48 in simply ten years. Whereas our age naturally will increase by ten years, his age claims a rise of 38 years. In merely a decade, he went from being within the seventh grade to incomes a D.Litt. (Physician of Letters, after PhD).”

Following these allegations, the BJP filed an FIR towards Kishore, accusing him of damaging Samrat Choudhary’s repute. Bihar BJP working committee member Krishna Singh Kallu submitted the FIR on the Gandhi Maidan police station, claiming that Prashant Kishor used derogatory language towards Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary. Krishna Singh’s criticism states that Kishor’s remarks purpose to tarnish the picture of the BJP and its leaders.

In a current escalation, the BJP accused Prashant Kishore of being a fraud and a political thief, alleging that he stole concepts and information in the course of the 2020 meeting elections. Bihar BJP spokesperson, whereas addressing a press convention in Patna, claimed {that a} Congress employee named Shashwat Gautam had filed a case towards Kishore in 2020, asserting that associates of Kishore took election marketing campaign concepts from the Patliputra workplace.

The criticism mentions a person named Osama Khurshid, who contested the Patna College election on a JD(U) ticket and accused Kishore of taking a laptop computer containing delicate information. Though the laptop computer was returned, the info allegedly went lacking. Based on the FIR, Kishore launched a marketing campaign titled ‘Baat Bihar Ki’ on 18 February 2020, reportedly utilising the identical materials. The criticism accuses Kishore of mental property theft. Nonetheless, Kishor’s lawyer emphasised that the info in query was publicly accessible and any resemblance in marketing campaign themes was purely coincidental. In response to those allegations, BJP spokesperson Danish Iqbal said, “The true face of Kishore has been uncovered; he isn’t a frontrunner however a political thief.”

BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel just lately said to ThePrint, “Prashant Kishore is making baseless allegations towards BJP leaders to achieve consideration. The individuals of Bihar are conscious which get together is prone to damage his electoral ambitions. The upcoming elections are a contest between the Mahagathbandhan and the NDA alliance, and Kishore is just not a critical contender; he’s solely trying to siphon off a couple of votes, which is why he’s making such accusations.”

Prior to now, neither Samrat Choudhary nor Jaiswal have straight confronted Kishore; in actual fact, Samrat Choudhary has referred to him as a ‘huge brother’.

Mangal Pandey on 8 August defended himself towards Kishore’s prices saying that the case of the ambulance order is in courtroom. “I’ve checked, fee has not been made to the corporate involved. So far as the mortgage taken from Jaiswal is anxious, I’ve paid him again,” stated Pandey.

A BJP chief from Bihar commented, “Prashant’s elevated assaults appear geared toward gaining a share of the BJP’s vote base. It’s clear he gained’t be capable to make important inroads into Lalu’s core vote base of Muslim Yadavs. Even with the BJP’s substantial election equipment, we struggled to make headway within the RJD’s voter financial institution. Consequently, it gained’t be simple for Kishore. He appears to be focusing on middle-class voters and aspirational upper-caste and OBC segments who’re anticipating a greater future. In his speeches, Kishore is specializing in these demographics, which might pose a problem for the BJP. This explains his assaults on key BJP figures in Bihar, together with Samrat Choudhary, Deputy CM Kushwaha, State President Jaiswal, and Brahmin chief Mangal Pandey, as he makes an attempt to penetrate our voter base.”

(Edited by Viny Mishra)

---

Additionally learn: Nitish is just not match to proceed as CM, NDA will lose energy in Bihar come November—Prashant Kishor

---