Patna: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor launched a scathing critique of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United), accusing their decades-long rule of reducing Bihar to a “state of labourers.” As his party gears up for its electoral debut, Kishor said education is the only way to lift Bihar out of poverty, illiteracy, and unemployment.
“Thirty to thirty-five years of Lalu-Nitish rule have turned the entire Bihar into a labourers’ state. Children here were forced to carry sacks on their backs,” Kishor said while addressing supporters. “Jan Suraaj’s ideology is that children of Bihar will not carry sacks but school bags. They will study, get jobs, and live a good life.”
The remarks come as the Election Commission of India formally allotted the symbol of a ‘school bag’ to the Jan Suraaj Party for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, likely to be held in October or November this year. While the ECI has not yet announced an official poll date, Kishor welcomed the symbol, tying it directly to his party’s educational and developmental agenda.
In an interview with newswire ANI, Kishor also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government. “We still face hunger, poverty, and helplessness,” he said. “Despite PM Narendra Modi being in power at the Centre for 11 years, Bihar continues to suffer.”
He challenged the ruling National Democratic Alliance to name one sector in which Bihar ranks first nationally. “You’ve had power for 20 years in the state and 11 at the Centre. Where are the results?” he asked, alleging that official data—especially around toilet construction and educational reform—has been manipulated to show inflated progress.
Currently, the 243-member Bihar Assembly is dominated by the NDA, which holds 131 seats: BJP (80), JD(U) (45), HAM(S) (4), and support from two independents. The opposition INDIA bloc controls 111 seats, with RJD (77), Congress (19), CPI(ML) (11), CPI(M) (2), and CPI (2).
The Jan Suraaj Party, formed by Kishor following his high-profile stints as a political strategist, has signaled its intent to contest the upcoming election independently. Kishor has spent the last several months conducting grassroots outreach campaigns across the state, branding his movement as a clean break from Bihar’s entrenched political legacy.
