JDU seeks fund sources for PK's foot march, alleges BJP tacit support

As Prashant Kishor embarks on his 3500km ‘padayatra’ as part of his Jan Suraaj movement that will cover the entire state of Bihar in a span of about one and a half years, JDU leader Lalan Singh questions its funding and purpose as well. Singh asks him to roam anywhere in Bihar but says nothing will happen. Reports ETV Bharat's Bureau Chief Amit Bhelari.

Patna:JDU national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh on Monday raised questions over the expenditure of poll strategist Prashant Kishor who has launched his foot march under the name of Jan Suraaj from Champaran. Singh alleged that Kishor is getting support from BJP for his Jan Suraaj program.

“Actually, he is roaming in Bihar on the agenda of BJP. He is working on the behalf of BJP. Let him give any name to his march. There are a lot of political parties in Bihar and we are also running a political party, have you ever witnessed one full-page advertisement on the cover? From where he is getting the funding? Where is the CBI, where is the ED? The source of the money is the one who is controlling CBI and ED. I must also tell you that the cash payment has been done for the full page cover ad published in the different newspapers,” Singh said.

Kishor has embarked on his 3500km ‘padayatra’ as part of his Jan Suraaj movement that will cover the entire state of Bihar in a span of about one and a half years. He commenced the ‘padayatra’ from the Gandhi Ashram in Bhitiharwa, West Champaran on Gandhi Jayanti.

“Everyone has the right to roam around in Bihar but how will they know about the work which has been done in the past 30 years? How many days he has stayed in Bihar in the last 30 years? Even a small child knows what kind of change has taken place in Bihar as far as development is concerned. The people of Bihar do not need his certificate. Let him give the facts and figures because he is a master of that. I have earlier also said that he is mainly a trader,” Singh said.

Determined to improve the political discourse in the state of Bihar, Kishor has said that he will walk for 3500 kilometers during the ‘padayatra’ and will try to reach every panchayat and block, a feat that is likely to take around one and a half years during which he will not return either to Patna or Delhi.

Singh further said, “From where he is getting the cash amount. Are CBI and ED only for Tejashwi Yadav Ji, Lalu Ji, or the opposition? Let him roam anywhere in Bihar, nothing will happen.”

Time and again Kishor has been stressing that the people of Bihar are oppressed and are plagued with poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and corruption. In a bid to improve the lives of the coming generations and regain Bihar’s lost glory, good governance is integral. The Jan Suraaj movement aims to kickstart a dialogue around it and eventually let the people decide on how governance should be executed.

As part of the Jan Suraaj movement, Kishor will connect with like-minded people whose collective efforts will bring positive change. Kishor is doing a foot march to identify the right people at the grassroots level with the help of society and bring them on one democratic platform.

He has also stressed that to get a better understanding of the local problems and possibilities, based on which, priorities of villages and cities will be listed and a blueprint for their development will be prepared.

Another objective of the campaign is to prepare a vision document for the next 15 years based on the suggestions of subject-matter experts in 10 sectors including education, health, employment, economic development, agriculture, industry, and social justice for the overall development of Bihar.

Today, Kishor is doing a foot march in the Gaunaha block of West Champaran district in which he will visit 15 panchayats covering a distance of 10 km.

Taking a dig at Yatra, BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “Everyone knows that PK has a tacit understanding with Nitish Ji and at the end of the day he will join or collaborate with him. He is known for media propaganda as well as on-and-off statements mentioning big names to grab the headlines. PK is Nitishji's political B-team,” he added.