Prashant Kishor, the leader of Jan Suraaj and a former poll strategist, has caused controversy by calling Bihar “literally a failed state” that is “in deep s***” and highlighting the necessity of making enormous efforts to propel the state’s growth.
Following the opening of his party’s US chapter, Kishor made the comments in a virtual conversation with the Bihari diaspora in the US.
Kishor expressed optimism that his party would win the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, despite Jan Suraaj’s poor showing in the most recent by-elections for the Bihar Assembly, where it lost deposits in all but one constituency and failed to gain a single seat.
He highlighted the grim reality of Bihar’s challenges, saying, “We have to realise that this (Bihar) is a state which is in deep shit. If Bihar were a country, it would be the 11th largest in the world in terms of population. We have just overtaken Japan in population.”
Kishor condemned the general lack of hope in Bihar society, blaming it on survival issues that trump aspirations for advancement.
Drawing parallels with failed states, he remarked, “For example… sometimes we think… why are people in Sudan fighting for 20 years in a civil war? Because when you are in that failed state, then people are not worried about how our children will study. They are worried about whom to shoot and where to capture. That is the situation in Bihar too.”
Kishor expressed optimism in spite of this pessimistic evaluation, saying that Jan Suraaj’s efforts during the previous two and a half years may eventually pay off.
However, he recognised that it would require patience and consistent work to achieve observable governance results. In outlining his plans for Bihar’s progress, Kishor emphasised that enhancing school education would be the government’s primary priority if Jan Suraaj were to take power in 2025.
He suggested abolishing the state’s alcohol restriction, which he says has been ineffectual and harmful to the state’s revenue, in order to finance this project.
Speaking to members of the Bihari diaspora, Kishor challenged them to do more than just talk about Bihar’s progress.
“I haven’t noticed anything particularly concrete on the ground. I haven’t observed anything concrete outside of sessions. In the end, you take no action. He stated plainly, “Don’t think otherwise, but you don’t.”
Kishor has hope for his party’s future even though Jan Suraaj did poorly in the by-elections. “The Jan Suraaj will win in 2025,” he declared. It is without question. My understanding of the election makes it obvious to me that we will prevail.
Although achieving the goal of making Bihar a middle-income state by 2029–2030 would be difficult, Kishor said it was attainable with persistent and committed work.
