'Jitna Lalu ji bheek mein denge': Prashant Kishor on how many votes Congress will secure in Bihar polls 2025

New Delhi:

Taking a sharp swipe at the Congress party ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor said that the party's prospects in the state are entirely dependent on the generosity of Lalu Prasad Yadav. "Jitna Lalu ji bheek mein denge," Kishor remarked on being asked how many votes he estimates Congress will secure in the upcoming Assembly elections. He also described Congress as a party with decades-long dependency on the RJD chief. "This is a party that has been riding Lalu Yadav’s coattails for the last 25–30 years," he added. 

Kishor's sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi 

Kishor also challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to prove his political mettle by contesting the elections in Bihar without leaning on the RJD. "If Rahul Gandhi has political guts, he should contest the elections in Bihar on his own. Or at least demand an equal number of seats from Lalu Yadav," he said, further questioning the seriousness of the Congress leadership about Bihar. Raising questions about Rahul Gandhi's connect with Bihar's grassroots, Kishor asked, "Has Rahul Gandhi spent even one night in a village in Bihar?" He also accused the Congress leader of staying comfortably in Delhi, ridiculing Biharis from a distance, and then arriving in the state to deliver political sermons.

'Biharis born to labour? shameful comment'

Taking aim at Telangana Chief Minister and Congress leader Revanth Reddy, Kishor slammed his controversial remark that labouring is in the DNA of Biharis. "They say Biharis were born to do labour and then come to Bihar to lecture them? What kind of respect is that for the people of this state?" Kishor asked, expressing outrage over the insult directed at Bihar's hardworking population.

'What happened to Rajiv Gandhi's Rs 50,000 crore promise?'

Kishor also brought up former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's 1989 announcement from Gandhi Maidan in Patna, in which he had promised Rs 50,000 crore for Bihar's development. "Where did that money go?" he asked. He reminded that Congress remained in power at the Centre for 15 years after that but failed to deliver on its promises for Bihar's growth.

Kishor slams economic stereotypes about Bihar

Kishor continued his sharp critique of the prevailing economic narrative around Bihar, stating that there is a deeply ingrained misconception that all Biharis need is '4 kg of grains." He argued that such a mindset has long hindered the state's industrial growth and development.

Kishor pointed out that the real reason factories aren't being set up in Bihar is because it would disrupt the steady supply of cheap migrant labour to states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, where workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh earn just Rs 10,000–Rs 12,000 a month. "Some parts of Bihar and UP have effectively been reduced to labour-producing hubs," he added. 

'PM Modi's call can change Bihar's future'

The Jan Suraaj leader further asserted that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi were to publicly call for industrial development in Bihar, no industrialist would dare to defy it. "If PM Modi himself says so today, then which industrialist would have the courage not to set up a factory in Bihar?" Kishor asked.

(With inputs from ANI) 

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