‘Bihar A Failed State’: Prashant Kishor Tells Bihari Community In US
Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has said Bihar is “literally a failed state” and tremendous efforts are required for its all-round development
The Jan Suraaj leader, in a virtual interaction with the Bihari diaspora community following the launch of the party's US chapter, expressed confidence in his party’s victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections
He also promised to lift the alcohol ban and allocate the revenue towards improving school education
“We have to realise that Bihar is a state which is in deep s**t. If Bihar were a country, it would be the 11th largest country in terms of population in the world. We have just overtaken Japan in terms of population,” PTI quoted Prashant Kishor as saying
He said that the biggest challenge is that society has become “hopeless” about improving the situation in Bihar
“When you become hopeless, the immediate survival needs become so overpowering that nothing else matters,” said Kishor, adding, “But not all is lost”
“Some hope is definitely there because of what we have been doing in the last two and a half years. But to convert this into a tangible electoral outcome and further into a governance outcome Anyone who wants to be part of it has to be committed for at least five-six years,” he said.
“Even if the government (of the Jan Suraaj) is formed in 2025 and we continue to work hard with this intensity, it would be a big thing if Bihar becomes a middle-income state by 2029-2030
He said that if Jan Suraaj is voted to power, his top priority would be improving school education, funded by the revenue generated from lifting the statewide alcohol ban
Launched in October with much fanfare, Jan Suraaj failed to make an impact in the recent Bihar assembly bypolls, with its candidates losing deposits in all but one seat. The ruling NDA swept the bypolls, winning all four seats