Paschim Champaran: A software engineer who quit his job, a doctor who shut his clinic, the head of an NGO who came all the way from Rajasthan, and a Karnataka-based businessman — these are some of the people who have landed in Bihar’s West Champaran district to support Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Yatra.
“Ek kilometre saath chale aur mujhe apna aashirwad dijiye (walk with me for a kilometre and give me your blessings),” 45-year-old Kishor told local residents as he marched on.
The former poll strategist is keeping his cards close to his chest, but there is speculation that this is likely to be a precursor to the launch of a new political outfit in Bihar. Kishor and his supporters aim to cover 3,500 km across the state on foot over the next 12-15 months.
A key highlight of the yatra is an initiative to identify future leaders from “within the local population”. There is even a mobile application called ‘PK Connect’. For every tweet, Facebook post, Instagram story or WhatsApp status on the yatra, users are rewarded with “points” on the app. Those with the most points are ranked on the app’s ‘leaderboard’.
“We plan to make Bihar a model for the rest of the country. I realised over a period of the last 10 years that governments change, but the system doesn’t. We are here to change the whole political system,” Kishor said during one of his live sessions on ‘PK Connect’ from Jamunia.
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‘Didn’t know who he was, but his speeches made sense’
On 7 October, hundreds flocked to Bajra — a remote village over 250 km away from Patna characterised by a lack of proper healthcare, schools and employment — to hear what Kishor had to say. Though a route is set for the yatra each day, it is not uncommon to see villagers pulling Kishor away to show him a broken bridge or a submerged road.
Among those who have joined the yatra after being convinced by Kishor’s vision for Bihar is a software engineer who quit his job and is marching barefoot. “I’m from Bihar but had to go to Karnataka in search of a job. Now, it is time to bring change,” he told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, Jaiprakash, a former army man who joined the yatra at Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran, said, “I didn’t know who Prashant was, but I heard his speeches. His speeches made a lot of sense and I agree with his ideology. If not us [Biharis], who will make the change? That is why I joined him on 2 October.”
On the yatra’s slow pace, Vivek Kumar, who heads an NGO in Rajasthan, said “impatience is the biggest enemy of any movement”.
“If the message is not delivered, there is no point in this yatra,” he told ThePrint.
Such is the popularity of the yatra participants’ caps — yellow, with an image of Mahatma Gandhi — that one can even see people fighting over them.
Many politicians come and go but we see hope in Prashant, said residents of Bhitiharwa, while drawing a comparison between Kishor and former prime minister Chandrashekhar. “Even Chandrashekhar came here and we supported him for his yatra. But when he didn’t do anything, no one went back to his rallies,” said Abdul Rasheed, a farmer.
Shantanu Singh, a teacher from Bajra, told ThePrint: “A road and some parts of the village were submerged in water in 2005. So many politicians have come and so many have gone but nothing has happened.”
Targeting Bihar’s problems
As the yatra halted after every kilometre or two, Kishor listened to the problems of local residents before telling them to choose the “right leader” from among themselves. “You choose the leader and I will put effort, money and thought behind them,” he said.
The plan is to make a blueprint for the next 15 years, identify the 10 biggest problems faced by Bihar and bring the state to par with the country’s 20 most developed states. Organisers of the yatra, along with political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), co-founded by Kishor, are building block committees after “consulting locals”.
Block members will in turn elect members to zila (district) committees who will elect members to a state committee. “In the manifesto, problems will be mentioned according to each zila with solutions,” announced the emcee in one of Kishor’s public meetings.
Apart from a team in Patna, I-PAC volunteers have been deployed across the state since April. They are in charge of making arrangements at each stop, at least two days in advance. These include a tent with a help desk, a luggage counter and accommodation for nearly 200-300 people at every stop.
Kishor, his team and fellow yatris stay in tents that include fans and washrooms. It takes the team at least 60 hours to prepare this setup.
While many of those who witnessed the yatra are still not ready to place their faith in Kishor, the consensus is that he is putting in a lot of effort to establish a connection at the grassroots level.
Vishwadas, a shop owner in Pipariya village, pointed out: “Covering 3,500 km over a span of one year is not something everyone can do. For sure, there is an effort.”
Meanwhile, an elderly woman from Damrapur village called Kishor a “messiah of god”.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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