Nitish Kumar claims Prashant Kishor asked him to merge JD(U) with Congress
The chief minister responded to Kishor's claim that he turned down Kumar's recent request to lead the JD(U). Kumar said, "He recently came to see me on his own. I did not invite him. He says a lot but doesn't say anything about when he asked me to merge my party with the Congress."
FollowThe Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, claimed on Saturday that Prashant Kishor, a poll strategist turned politician, had asked him to merge his Janata Dal (U) with the Congress.
While talking to the media in Sitab Diara, the birthplace of socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan, Kumar said that Kishor worked for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"He came to see me recently on his own initiative. I did not invite him. He says a lot but keeps quiet about the fact that he once asked me to merge my party with the Congress," Kumar said.
The chief minister responded to Kishor's claim that he turned down Kumar's recent request to lead the JD(U).
"Let him say whatever he wants. Everything he says makes no sense. Some four-five years ago, he told me to merge with Congress. He is now working for the BJP," Kumar said.
Kishor claimed on Tuesday that Kumar called him to his home about 10-15 days ago and asked him to lead the JD(U).
Kishor continued, "I said that it was not possible. I cannot go back on the commitment I made in return for any post."
Kishor, the founder of political consultancy I-PAC, was inducted into the JD(U) by Kumar in 2018 and quickly promoted to national vice president.
However, a disagreement with Kumar over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) resulted in his expulsion from the party after only a few years.
He announced the 'Jan Suraaj' platform in May and is currently on a 3,500-kilometer march that will cover every nook and cranny of the state.
Meanwhile, on the death anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, the chief minister paid floral tributes to him and reviewed the development projects undertaken by his government in and around Sitab Diara.
He also visited a primary health care facility (PHF) named after Narayan's wife, Prabhavati Devi. "This health centre will have all medical facilities, and villagers will no longer need to travel to the district town for better treatment," he explained.
(With inputs from PTI)
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