Dubbed an "opportunist" by the political mainstream in Bihar, Prashant Kishor insisted that he had infused his campaign with a "purity of intent"
Prashant Kishor. File Pic
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Saturday won grudging praise, couched in sarcasm, from political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kishor, who is on a padayatra in his home state Bihar, was asked by journalists in Motihari about parallels, if any, he saw between his own effort and the marathon march of Gandhi.
"Bade log hain (they are big people). Compared with them, I am a nobody," said Kishor whose 'Jan Suraaj' campaign in Bihar came after a lengthy round of failed negotiations with the top leadership of the Congress, which he had wanted to join and was confident of reviving using his professional skills.
"Rahul Gandhi is on a 3,500 km-long march. For me, kilometres do not matter. I have been walking non-stop since October. But I do not want to show it off as evidence of my physical fitness," Kishor remarked, with thinly veiled sarcasm.
Dubbed an "opportunist" by the political mainstream in Bihar, he insisted that he had infused his campaign with a "purity of intent".
Also Read: Bharat Jodo Yatra not to project Rahul Gandhi as PM face: Congress
"It is like the austerities of Chhath (festival). One can have a sip of water. But true devotees do not make such a compromise and complete a gruelling 36-hour-long fast," he said on Saturday.
"Not for me breaks during the New Year or visits to my home. Nor do I agree to hitch short rides on my way to the next destination," said Kishor in an obvious dig at the Congress leader.
Kishor first came in limelight after handling Narendra Modi's spectacularly successful campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He called it a day as a professional strategist after the 2021 assembly polls in West Bengal where his client, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, registered her biggest-ever victory.
In the meantime, the IPAC founder had done business with political leaders as diverse as Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray, M K Stalin, Arvind Kejriwal, Amarinder Singh, Jagan Mohan Reddy and K Chandrashekar Rao.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
