OPINION | Prashant Kishor’s new party: He should lead it from the front
Retired Indian Foreign Service officer Manoj Bharti will serve as the party's working president and all decisions will be taken at the 'Leadership Council'.
Political strategist Prashant Kishor formally became a 'neta' on October 2, when he launched his Jan Suraaj Party in Patna. More than 50,000 people from all over Bihar attended his meeting. Prashant Kishor declared his party would follow neither the Left nor the Right path, but will tread the "humanist path". His party flag will bear the pictures of Gandhi and Ambedkar. Prashant Kishor promised to remove prohibition in Bihar within one hour if his party comes to power. Retired Indian Foreign Service officer Manoj Bharti will serve as the party's working president and all decisions will be taken at the 'Leadership Council'. Present on the dais were former Union Minister Devendra Yadav, former MP Monazir Hassan, Karpoori Thakur's granddaughter Jagriti Thakur, former IPS officer from Assam Anand Mishra and others. Most of the leaders in Jan Suraaj Party have no political background, but Prashant Kishor promises to make Bihar the No.1 state in India.
RJD leader Misa Bharti described Prashant Kishor's party as the "B team of BJP'. Going through the reactions of BJP, RJD and JD-U leaders, one thing is clear: all these parties are worried after Prashant Kishor's entry into politics. Prashant Kishore is not a new name in Indian politics, but as a political leader, his avatar is a new one. For two years, he visited nearly six thousand villages in Bihar before launching his new party. He can feel the pulse of the people and his vision is clear. He knows the path that he has charted, and he is clear about his aim. Bihar needs a party with a new outlook, a leader who can call a spade, a spade. The selection process for candidates and the process of decision making in the new party are quite impressive. I only disagree on one point. Prashant Kishor has clearly said, he is not going to become the chief minister. I think, this is not a correct idea.
If Prashant Kishor really wants to fight to give the people of Bihar their due rights, he must come forward and play on the front foot. There is no place for a 'non-playing captain' in politics. There is no point saying, 'I won't become the CM, the party will elect somebody else, I will undertake padyatra again'. These remarks are going to create confusion in the minds of voters. Prashant Kishor must place clear options before the people of Bihar. He must declare himself the chiefministerial candidate. Let people get a clear choice whether they want to opt for Prashant Kishor as their leader and chief minister or not. For the last two years, the villagers of Bihar listened to Prashant Kishor's speeches. Many of them reposed their trust in him as a leader of Jan Suraj Party. How can there be another leader in his place? Prashant Kishor has no option to back out from his responsibility. He is the 'face' of Jan Suraj Party and the people of Bihar will decide whether they like this 'face' or not.
Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 pm
India's Number One and most followed Super Prime Time News Show 'Aaj Ki Baat- Rajat Sharma Ke Saath' was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception, the show has redefined India's super-prime time and is numerically far ahead of its contemporaries