Bihar politics: Hitting back at JD(U) over criticism regarding the funding of his newly formed Jan Suraaj Party, former political strategist Prashant Kishor on Wednesday said that his financial resources comes to him by virtue of his intellect.
Speaking at a party event, Kishor, who aims to make a mark in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, indirectly criticised the BJP, alleging that wealth was being concentrated in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
'Money comes to me by virtue of my intellect'
"Some people are raising the question as to from where am I getting the money to run this party," said Kishor, in an obvious reference to JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar, who has alleged that the Jan Suraaj Party was funded by a "charitable" organisation based in Bengaluru. The JD(U) leader has also claimed that Kishor has also "donated" Rs 50 lakh to the organisation, alleging that it appeared to be an instance of "tax fraud".
Kishor, who has worked for political leaders of various hues as a former election strategist, said, "Money comes to me by virtue of my intellect. Anybody blessed by Goddess Saraswati is sure to receive blessings from Goddess Laxmi as well."
"I have never been an IAS or an IPS officer or in any other government service. I have never been a contractor, nor a member of Parliament or legislature. All that I have earned, I owe to my intellect (buddhi). My earnings shall ensure that money does not remain a problem for the youth of Bihar," said the 47-year-old, who has vowed to bear poll expenses of Jan Suraaj Party candidates who did not have enough money to contest an election.
With rhetorical flourish, Kishor added, "Would only the youth of Gujarat have all the money? Even though power is achieved with votes of youth of Bihar? This will not be tolerated any more. The youth of Bihar is not going to be a source of cheap labour for ever."
Kishor's journey as a political strategist
Interestingly, Prashant Kishor began his career as a political strategist in 2012, when he handled the Gujarat Assembly election campaign for Narendra Modi, who was then the state's Chief Minister.
He also played a key role in Modi's 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, which resulted in a landslide victory for the BJP.
(With PTI inputs)
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