‘Laughable when..’: Prashant Kishor attacks Tejashwi Yadav over Bihar's development model

Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Sunday said Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav talking about the development model is “laughable” when he doesn't know the difference between GDP and growth rates even after his party ruled Bihar for 15 years.

Kishor, who is leading 'Jan Suraaj' campaign in Bihar, said he can comment on Tejashwi Yadav's statements only when he talks about caste, extortion, liquor mafia, and crime and not on development.

“I know about Tejashwi Yadav's understanding of development. Comments can be made if he speaks on caste, extortion, liquor mafia, and crime, but if Tejashwi Yadav discusses the development model, it is laughable. They have been in power for the last 15 years, he does not know what GDP and GDP growth are and is talking about the development story of Bihar,” Kishor told news agency ANI.

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He also wondered whether the state's law and order looked like Switzerland's to the RJD leader under his party's rule. "As far as crime is concerned, when Tejashwi Yadav was the Deputy CM six months ago, Bihar was Switzerland for him and after six months Bihar has become a gutter. If today Nitish Kumar joins Mahagathbandhan, Bihar will again start looking great to him."

On caste census

Kishor also attacked the Congress party and leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over its demand for a caste census and asked why the party did not do the same while in power for almost 60 years. He also suggested that the caste census is not a panacea to eradicate poverty or improve the living conditions of the poor.

“If the situation can be better from the caste census, then we have data on SCs/STs communities. Rahul Gandhi or any person who is saying this, first they should explain why the situation of these communities hasn't improved yet. Only getting information couldn't improve the situation. Congress was in rule for 60 years, why they didn't conduct a caste census?” he asked.

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Kishor asked the Congress party to conduct a caste census in states where the party is in power and prove that it can eradicate poverty so that it can also be replicated in Bihar. “Bihar is a poor state which is a known fact and there is no need for a survey on this purpose, instead, Rahul Gandhi should provide a mantra for improving the situation,” he added.

The former poll strategist also said the new party, which will be formed on October 2 in Bihar, will contest all 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections and at least 40 women candidates will be nominated. Exuding confidence in winning the elections, Kishor has said that he would not lead the party instead the leaders would be elected from their respective assembly constituencies.