YouTuber Manish Kashyap, a popular name in Bihar politics, finally became a full-fledge politician as he joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Anil Baluni in New Delhi on Thursday. His entry into active politics during the election season triggered speculations that he may contest Lok Sabha elections. However, the chance to contest on the BJP ticket in Bihar is bleak as the saffron party as part of NDA (National Democratic Alliance) already announced all candidates in the state.
Meanwhile, it is sure that the BJP will use his popularity during poll campaigns against Mahagathbandhan leaders especially against RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Who is Manish Kashyap?
Manish Kashyap is a household name for those who have an interest in Bihar politics and are active on a digital video platform - YouTube. Kashyap, born on March 9, 1991, is originally from Bettiah, Bihar. His real name is Tripurari Kumar Tiwari. The YouTuber did his civil engineering course in 2016. Despite so many controversies around him, Kashyap maintains a strong presence on YouTube with approximately 8.75 million subscribers, focusing on various social issues in Bihar for years. His videos are liked a lot not only in Bihar but also in other parts of the Hindi speaking belt. In the year 2020, he also unsuccessfully contested elections from Chanpatia Assembly seat of Bihar.
Kashyap in legal trouble
Kashyap faced legal troubles when he was arrested by the police in a case related to the circulation of fake viral videos. Kashyap had shared the alleged video of assault on workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu through his official YouTube channel. By making this videos, he drew irks from Tamil Nadu government as well as the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar's JDU and Tejashwi Yadav's RJD. After the video went viral, the Tamil Nadu government slammed him calling those videos fake. Even the then DGP of Tamil Nadu, Shailendra Babu, while posting a video on social media, termed the video as misleading. The Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police had also filed a report against Kashyap. Subsequently, he spent around 9 months in jail before his release. Multiple FIRs were registered in Tamil Nadu against him. When the police raided, Kashyap went underground. He surrendered after the Bettiah police started confiscation of his house. The EOU team took the case into its custody, interrogated Manish and sent him to jail.
Kashyap vs Tejashwi
Before landing in jail, Kashyap was on a streak to attack then Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on condition of migrants from Bihar in Tamil Nadu and other states. On one occasion, he threatened Tejashwi to topple his government within 180 days. Those days, he became a face of anti-Tejashwi politics drawing support of BJP.
Also read: YouTuber Manish Kashyap joins BJP in presence of Manoj Tiwari, Anil Baluni | WATCH
