Jan Suraaj Party to field 70 EBCs in Bihar Assembly polls: Prashant Kishor

Patna, Jan 24 (PTI) Making a strong pitch for "political representation in proportion to population", Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Friday promised to field 70 candidates from the extremely backward classes (EBC) in elections to the 243-strong Bihar assembly.

The political strategist turned activist was addressing a function organised here on the birth anniversary of former chief minister Karpoori Thakur, an EBC icon on whom Bharat Ratna was conferred last year.

"The Jan Suraaj Party believes that political representation, in proportion to population, must be ensured. Hence, we will give tickets to 70 candidates of the extremely backward classes", said Kishor.

He was speaking at the Miller High School ground, situated at a stone's throw from the offices of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), his principal ally BJP and the main opposition party, the RJD.

Without mentioning these parties by name, Kishor said, "These three organisations can together not field a total of 70 EBC candidates. But Jan Suraaj Party will not just give tickets to 70 EBCs, but also bear the expenses of those who may have potential but lack the resources to fight an election".

Notably, the Jan Suraaj Party was founded in October last year, capping a slew of populist announcements from Kishor, who had promised tickets to "40 women" in the assembly polls due in the second half of the year 2025.

Apparently mindful of the deep imprint on the body politic of Bihar left by the 1990s' Mandal churn, the 47-year-old also declared, "We hold that quotas in government jobs should remain in place".

He, however, added "Unless the children of deprived castes are properly educated, they cannot reap benefits of reservations. Education in Bihar has suffered a lot under Lalu and Nitish. The current CM claims to be honest but only recently, under his watch an official of the Education department was caught with bundles of notes".

"Improving public education is essential but it would take some time to clear the mess. So, until things look up, the Jan Suraaj Party promises to bear the expenses of poor students who might otherwise be unable to afford it," said Kishor.

Kishor also referred to the row over last month's BPSC exams, demanding the cancellation of which he had undertaken a fast which was broken after two weeks following deterioration in his health.

Unfazed by a legal notice from the BPSC which has accused him of levelling "baseless allegations", Kishor said, "We all know that thousands of crores have changed hands as posts to be filled up by competitive exams were put up for sale".

Recounting the lathi charge on protesters who had gathered at the historical Gandhi Maidan to hear him speak, Kishor said, "When the police beat up your children in biting cold, they did not care to which caste you belong. You must teach the government, which ordered such brutality, a lesson in the elections (vote ki chot)". PTI NAC RG