Recent reports indicate that Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj Party, was prevented from entering Kalyan Bigha, the ancestral village of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. The incident led to a heated exchange between Kishor and local officials, raising questions about freedom of movement and political restrictions in the state.
Kishor, who has been actively campaigning in Bihar, intended to launch a signature campaign in Kalyan Bigha, aiming to highlight what he claims are unfulfilled promises and widespread corruption within the Nitish Kumar government. He also aimed to engage directly with villagers to assess the impact of Nitish Kumar's policies, particularly those designed to uplift marginalised communities based on the Caste Census. Kishor stated that he wanted to see if the promises made by the government had been fulfilled in the Chief Minister's own village, suggesting that Kalyan Bigha would serve as an indicator of the situation in the rest of Bihar.
According to Kishor, district officials stopped him from entering Kalyan Bigha, citing "top-down orders." He questioned the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) about the restrictions, emphasizing that his party is committed to lawful conduct. He argued that if he had violated any laws, authorities should have stopped him in the villages he had already passed through, and that there should be no restrictions on visiting any village or meeting anyone in a democracy. Kishor also expressed his intention to verify the implementation of a long-standing government promise, dating back to 2008, that all Dalit and Mahadalit families in Bihar would receive three decimals of land.
The Nalanda district administration, however, offered a different perspective. They stated that Kishor's party had only been granted permission for a public meeting at the Labour Welfare Ground in Bihar Sharif, and not for village-level events. The administration claimed that Kishor's party attempted to hold meetings at unauthorized locations, violating the conditions of their original application. They added that investigations are underway to determine if the gathering was intended to disrupt public order. Subdivisional officer (SDO) Kajle Vaibhav Nitin told Kishor that mass gatherings were not allowed in Kalyan Bigha, and that he could hold his meeting at the designated place.
Despite being denied entry into Kalyan Bigha, Kishor addressed a public meeting in Bihar Sharif. He criticized the actions of the Nitish Kumar government as undemocratic, reflecting a "jungle raj of bureaucracy in Bihar." He further claimed that villagers he met on the way to Kalyan Bigha complained about not receiving financial assistance or land as promised by the government and having to pay bribes for government services. One villager reportedly said he had not received possession of his land despite having the necessary documents since 2011.
This incident underscores the rising political tensions in Bihar as the 2025 assembly elections approach. Prashant Kishor, once a strategist for Nitish Kumar, has now positioned himself as a key challenger, actively criticizing the Chief Minister's governance and attempting to mobilize public support through his Jan Suraaj campaign. Kishor has announced that his party would field candidates on all 243 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. His strategy involves targeting Nitish Kumar's track record and highlighting alleged failures in delivering on promises related to welfare schemes, caste surveys, and corruption. By starting his campaign in Nitish Kumar's home turf, Kishor aims to challenge the Chief Minister's credibility and set the narrative for the upcoming elections.
