BJP slams Prashant Kishor, claims ‘political startup’ is a front for black money

Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has come under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following a string of allegations he made against senior BJP and JD(U) leaders.

In a sharp counterattack, Bihar BJP Vice-President Santosh Pathak accused Prashant Kishor of running a “fraudulent political startup” aimed at amassing black money through shell and benami (proxy) companies.

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“Prashant Kishor has launched a political startup based on fraud, whose primary goal is to generate black money through shell and proxy firms. The national president of the Jan Suraaj Party, Uday Singh, his son Abhinav Singh, proxy president Sharad Mishra, and Prashant Kishor’s sisters Priyanka Kishor and Shefali Kishor have collectively moved hundreds of crores of rupees through dozens of such companies,” Pathak alleged.

On Saturday, Prashant Kishor had launched a blistering attack on several senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Samrat Choudhary, Health Minister Mangal Pandey, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, and JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary, accusing them of corruption, misuse of power, and hiding assets.

In response, Pathak questioned the source of the Jan Suraaj Party’s funds. “People of Bihar want to know, why is Jan Suraaj receiving crores in funding from INDIA alliance-ruled states like West Bengal, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, even though elections in those states concluded years ago?”

He specifically pointed to alleged funding from West Bengal. “From Bengal alone, Rs371 crore was received, despite elections being held there in 2021. This raises serious suspicions. It appears Jan Suraaj is the dark face of the INDIA alliance, working to bring back jungle raj in Bihar.”

BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal also questioned donations received by the Jan Suraaj Party from YSR Congress MP Ayodhya Rami Reddy, routed through a financially distressed company.

“Is the YSR Congress, after being wiped out in Andhra Pradesh, now betting on PK? If he couldn’t help them win in Andhra, what makes them think he can deliver Bihar?” he asked.

Citing the audit report submitted by the Jan Suraaj Party to the Election Commission, Jaiswal expressed shock at the declared expenditure.

“In 2023–24, they reportedly ran 200 vehicles, hosted five-star tents and catering, and employed more than 10 staff members in each district, yet declared total expenses of only Rs35,000? This defies logic,” he said.