Patna: A London-educated woman from Darbhanga took the occasion of International Women’s Day for a one-of-a-kind political move — announcing herself as a chief ministerial candidate in Bihar, with the promise to develop the state to European standards by 2030.
On Monday, Pushpam Priya Choudhary took out full-page jacket advertisements in the state’s local newspapers to announce the arrival of her outfit named ‘Plurals’, and her candidature in the 2020 assembly polls, leaving the people in Bihar confounded — including her family members engaged in politics.
“Love Bihar, hate politics? Join the most progressive political party,” she advertised, adding, “Bihar deserves better, and better is possible.”
Bihar needs pace, Bihar needs wings, Bihar needs change. Because Bihar deserves better and better is possible. Reject bullshit politics, join Plurals to make Bihar run and fly in 2020. #PluralsHasArrived #ProgressiveBihar2020 pic.twitter.com/GiQU00oiJv
— Pushpam Priya Choudhary (@pushpampc13) March 8, 2020
Speaking to ThePrint, Pushpam’s father Binod Choudhary, who is a former MLC from CM Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), insisted he didn’t know his daughter had advertised herself as the CM candidate.
“But she says that she is getting support from thousands of people from Bihar, India and abroad,” said Binod.
ThePrint couldn’t reach Pushpam for a comment on her political aspirations, but Binod shed some light.
“She has been in Bihar and moving across the state,” he said. “Priya has been telling me everything about what has gone wrong in Bihar and even accused me of not doing anything about it. I told her that I was just an MLC for six years.
“But she is my daughter, and as a father she does have my blessings,” he added.
However, Pushpam’s uncle Ajay Choudhary, who is the district president of JD(U) in Darbhanga, was less than enthused by her arrival on the political scene.
“It is a laughable claim. People of Bihar want Nitish Kumar to be the CM for the next 15 years,” he said.
Also read: Rumours, jitters, suspicion — fresh warmth in Tejashwi-Nitish ties gets Bihar talking
Who the prospective Bihar CM is
Pushpam Priya Choudhary comes from a political family from Darbhanga that has had a long association with Nitish Kumar.
Her grandfather Umashankar Choudhary was with Kumar when the latter co-founded the Samata Party in 1994. Umashankar had even contested on the party’s ticket.
While Binod was an MLC from Kumar’s JD(U), Ajay too is a local leader of the party. Kumar has even visited their house in Darbhanga on several occasions.
Pushpam has received her education abroad.
According to the ‘Plurals’ website she unveiled, she is a postgraduate in development studies from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK, and in public administration from the London School of Economics.
Speaking about her career so far, Binod said, “She said that she got an offer of a job with a package of about Rs 8 crore per year in the UK. I asked her to accept it. But she said that she wanted to do something big.”
Local residents of Darbhanga have little memory of her. “After schooling, she shifted to UK where her elder sister resides,” said a local resident and neighbour of the family who didn’t wish to be named.
Also read: How Nitish Kumar got Bihar BJP to oppose NRC and back UPA-era NPR format
Pushpam Priya Choudhary’s politics
In the jacket advertisement in Bihar dailies Monday, Pushpam Priya Choudhary also published a letter addressed to the state’s people.
According to the letter’s text, originally in Hindi, Pushpam promised to make Bihar the most developed state in the country by 2025, and further develop it the standards of any European nation by 2030.
Her account on social media platform Facebook, where she has been advertising her party for the last few months, presents a better view of her politics.
In one of her posts, she said, “Our sense of politics is so twisted (thanks to the politicians) that it is unimaginable for us to believe that it can do any good or to trust anyone who speaks up for the society. ‘That simply cannot be right, there must be some vested interest.’ Right?
“While we are not to be blamed for losing trust in politicians because after independence they all have mostly failed us. But, we definitely are to be blamed for choosing to remain at the periphery and only discuss politics in our living rooms and recently on social media.”
Pushpam Priya Choudhary यांनी वर पोस्ट केले शनिवार, २६ ऑक्टोबर, २०१९
In another post, she mocked the governance in Bihar.
“The government responds only to people with strong connections — the ruling class. Everyone else in the state is left behind. The quality of life is extremely sub-standard, and the life of the common citizen has no value.
“Unarguably, it is delusional to think that ‘everyone governs’ here and consequently we are far from being free,” she said.
Pushpam Priya Choudhary यांनी वर पोस्ट केले शनिवार, २६ ऑक्टोबर, २०१९
No one’s taking her seriously
Politicians in the state, including many in her uncle’s party, see Pushpam Priya Choudhary’s move as childish.
“She should join the young brigade of politicians in Bihar like Kanhaiya Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav who are still slogging out to make a mark. It is very difficult to sell dreams to a caste-ridden society. AAP tried to bring in fresh air in Bihar politics in 2014 and its candidates failed miserably,” said a JD(U) leader who didn’t wish to be quoted.
“Those living abroad and wanting to be CM, is not possible. People will prefer to stick to persons who have lived with them,” said Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Rajni Ranjan Patel.
“If she can be CM, then you can too,” said a JD(U) minister on the condition of anonymity, stressing that his party refused to take her challenge seriously.
Also read: How Bihar CM Nitish kept in touch with Rahul, Lalu for months after forming govt with BJP
This time best opportunity for bihar.
Skild labour & Employees retrun back from other state or aborode.
Man
Material
Money
Market &
Management.
L
Corona viruses hai to bihar mai extara skilled man power v hai
Aim fr the stars, reach the sky. Aim for Europe, reach Bangla Desh.
Assuring every one of Bihar full stomach before going to bed at night neither should be scared nor should be forgotten. Jokers or dirty politicians can only talk of changing Indian states to London or European type. These are abusing people who are already cheated severely several times in past. They are either already sold or marketing themselves for future gain as Mamata of Bengal did. Mamata even sold her clumsy painting for crore of rupees.
Mamata Banerjee said Kolkata will be London and Darjeeling will be Switzerland, now whole West Bengal has become 90’s Bihar. So Bihari bros be careful of these women.
I think she is trying to tell that Europe will be like bihar by 2030
A.k.dev.
It seems you didn’t quite understand her point, not surprising, you grown up children are dumb bullshits.
She has a vision to develop the stte economy, or the state altogether. Bihar votes for Nitish just because there is no other choice. That guy is making more money than lalu, but in too good a manner to be known. How?? Just look at the pattern, in recent years road density increased dramatically, goverment school buildings are in high numbers, in the BPSC exam obc cutoff was more than general( hint- it is under government and it increases the number you score for around 10- 20 lakhs, how you negotiate).
I also do know she is not going to be the CM this time, but it’s the start of a revolution and i support it.
Not like Europe rather like living standards parallel to them. Yes why don’t we deserve it. People in Bihar have long ridden under the weight of caste and poverty. The governments who came and went promised lots of changes but on ground, it is really far fetched.
We deserve a very well maintained, scalable health care system.
We deserve world standard schooling system and educational backbone that is sadly plagued in the Nitish’s era too.
We deserve more cities in Bihar rather than just Patna.
Our farmers deserve to live with the privileges other Indians are living with.
Our women deserve to be independent.
If these ideas sound childish to anyone, they surely have unknown and vested agenda within.
She hails from the land of SITAMATA , DARBHANGA ,she can do miracle.Dont underestimate her. If Delhi CM Mr Kejariwal can alone defeat BJP, anything is possible.
People like u spoiled the country. Leave modern vehicles go on horseback o r camel
India like Europe! Haven’t Britishers tried the same thing? India has to become better keeping Indianness. Becoming like Europe is bulshit. Who’ll buy it except UK returned brain washed Indians.