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Prashant Kishore plans to disrupt the deep-seated caste dynamics of Bihar, as the eastern state gears up for the assembly election next year. Jan Suraj – his political party – encourages the voters to look beyond their caste. Prashant’s pitch is for sure good to ears but is it realistic? Is he delusional or does he have a plan?
First, caste is king in Bihar. The old slogan goes like this: cast your vote, not vote your caste. This slogan never worked. Mr Kishore, a seasoned political analyst who worked with almost all major political parties in India, believes (at least at this time) that a new political force can transform Bihar. Well! Well! Well! We will see to that but first about Mr. Kishore.
Prashant Kishore pioneered the role of political analysts and backroom boys in the Indian elections. Before Kishore, Indian politicians were the strategists, data scientists, slogan writers, and every skill set needed to win an election. Intuition guided them. In the age of numbers, intuition takes a backseat. Prashant used his expertise to assist Mr Modi in 2014. After that, Prashant’s expertise was used by multiple political parties. Nitish Kumar – the Bihar Chief Minister – benefitted from his skills in 2015.
Prashant’s decision to enter active politics and quit his role as a shadow strategist appears to be a well-thought-out step. Mr. Kishore, however, understands the difference between an idea and a well-planned idea; illusion and reality; a political analyst and a leader. Prashant can win elections for other parties – no doubt- but can he deliver for his party?
Before forming Jan Suraj, Prashant travelled across Bihar to share his vision. He talked about education, jobs, poverty, and that Biharis must rise above their caste and vote to improve the quality of their lives – very noble. Your caste betrayed you and your family, he often repeated in his rallies. Prophetic words, for sure. Someone should talk about these, and I respect Prashant for that. Who is his audience? People who trust their caste more than anything else? People who identify their personality with their caste? The past wounds of caste-based massacres which witnessed the murder of millions solely because of their caste? The politicians ensured that those wounds never healed. Healing leads to progress so keep them wounded and in rage.
The politicians’ prime focus is to keep caste at the centre of their political planning. Nitish Kumar – the Bihar Chief Minister and Prashant’s former client – ordered a “caste survey” in Bihar in 2023. The survey aimed to study various caste groups in Bihar. It is a no-brainer that the caste dynamics rule Bihar and the caste survey results hardly surprised anyone. A few highlights from the caste-survey report: Yadavs form 14% of the Bihar population; followed by Mushar, Brahmins, Rajputs (all in and around 3%); backward classes are 27% (approx.); extremely backward classes constitute 36% (approx.); and the unreserved category is only 15% (approx.)
First, the caste survey pushed Bihar back by 2 decades – caste and religion should not be a topic of discussion in 2024. Then, politics cannot be ignored. Anyhow, over 60% of Bihar’s population is classified as “backward”. If you include the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes then this percentage grows to over 80%. Only 15% (approx.) of the population falls under the general category – loosely one can say that their social and economic condition is better.
Mr Kishore’s passionate vision for Bihar faces the toughest challenge here. How will you convince 60% of the population to ditch their caste and vote for development and education? How will you assure them that their caste failed to improve their economic status? Above all, why should they trust Mr Kishore?
Trust matters: in life and politics. Mr. Kishore’s credentials betray his philosophy. He was instrumental in Nitish Kumar’s victory in the 2015 state election. Mr. Kumar’s politics revolves around caste dynamics. Nitish discourages any effort to change the caste-based politics of Bihar: The caster survey was his brainchild. Prashant helped Nitish and his politics in 2015 – why the change of heart now? Why should people trust his words now? No doubt, he supported Nitish in a different role of a political analyst. That said, our present reflects our past. We are judged – sometimes unfairly – by the choices that we make.
A young and dynamic IPS officer, Anand Mishra, joined Prashant’s party recently. Does this mean that he is making the right noise? Or his passion will fade with time? I hope not.
Mr. Kishore must remember: To win an election is one thing, but to rule a state like Bihar is completely different.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.