Will join Nitish if he provides 10 lakh jobs, says PK; calls Bihar liquor ban 'ineffective'

A few days back, Nitish had slammed PK alleging him of being a 'BJP sympathiser', however, Nitish looked soft on him on Wednesday and stressed that he has good relationship with Kishor - writes ETV Bharat's Amit Bhelari.

Patna: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor Thursday made it clear that only if chief minister Nitish Kumar provides 10 lakh jobs then he will think of joining hands with him even as he questioned the ineffective liquor ban in the state. Kishor or PK as he is known as was in Bettiah on Thursday where he responded to the query of the journalist during the press meet when asked about meeting Nitish.

“If Nitish Kumar provides 10 lakh jobs then I will think about joining hands or ally with JDU,” Kishor said while confirming that he met Nitish Kumar two days ago. The meeting triggered a political debate over both coming together once again ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Interestingly, the meeting happened despite the two engaging in a war of words in recent times.

A few days back, Nitish had slammed PK alleging him of being a 'BJP sympathiser', however, Nitish looked soft on him on Wednesday and stressed that he has good relation with Kishor. On Tuesday night, Kishor met Nitish along with former bureaucrate Pavan Verma who was in the state capital. It is believed that it was Verma who had brought Kishor to Nitish.

On Wednesday, Nitish confirmed that Kishor had come to meet him, however, the CM called it a 'normal' meeting and did not share any further details. Nitish had also called the meeting not significant in terms of politics. Asked about meeting Nitish, Kishor said, “Nitish Kumar is the CM of Bihar. I have been active in Bihar since May, and meeting him personally was always in the picture but due to time constraints, this meeting could not take place. However, I met him on September 13."

PK, however, stressed that the meeting should be viewed as a social-political courtesy call. Hours before confirming the meeting with Nitish, the poll strategist, who was once the second-in-command of JDU, posted a tweet on his official Twitter handle creating more political buzz.

Kishor posted two lines in Hindi from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's poem Rashmirathi: “Teri sahayata se jai toh mai anayaas paa jaunga, aanewali manavta ko, lekin kya muh dikhalaunga",which loosely translate to I will get the victory with your help, spontaneously, but, what face I will show to the humanity to come?.

Kishor had played a pivotal role in 2015 when RJD and JDU along with Congress formed the government in Bihar. It was Kishor who had brought Lalu and Nitish under one roof. The meeting between Nitish and PK holds political significance because after snapping ties with BJP, Nitish is busy uniting the opposition to take on PM Narendra Modi in the next general election.

Kishor on other hand had earlier played a major role in 2014 for Narendra Modi and this time he could be a big help for Nitish. With the vision of Jan Suraaj, Kishor is scheduled to travel across Bihar through the proposed Padyatra from October 2. He will go to different villages and blocks of Bihar for about a year and will meet people and bring forward the right people from the society who can work for the betterment of Bihar.

Speaking on the recent firing incident in Begusarai, Kishor indicated that incidents like these amplify people's existing apprehensions about the state's poor law and order. “A major part of the administration is primarily focusing on the liquor ban therefore it is affecting the general administrative system and the law and order situation in Bihar has deteriorated in the last few years after the imposition of this prohibition policy," he said.

"Nitish Kumar is the administrative head and home minister therefore it becomes his responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the residents of Bihar,” he said. During his conversation with Nitish Kumar, the poll strategist put forward his view on the liquor ban in Bihar and how it is clearly not effective on the ground.