Patna, Nov 13 — Jan Suraaj, founder and Bankipur MLA Prashant Kishor, has clarified that his recent meeting with Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary was purely a matter of social and political courtesy and would not affect his political opposition to the BJP leader.
Speaking to journalists in Patna on Friday, Kishor said social and political decorum should be maintained whenever people meet, but such interactions should not be interpreted as a change in political positions.
"Our culture teaches us to maintain social and political etiquette when we meet someone. My meeting with Samrat Chaudhary will not turn someone who failed Class 7 into a PhD holder. I have previously described him as a criminal. Just because I met him once does not mean I will start portraying him as a saint or sage," Kishor said.
Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Bihar on November 21, Kishor said the Prime Minister should address the state's fundamental problems rather than limiting his announcements to infrastructure projects such as roads and railways.
He pointed out that Bihar had recently witnessed severe floods affecting around 50 lakh people.
During the Assembly election campaign, he said Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised a permanent solution to the state's recurring flood problem under a BJP-led government.
Kishor demanded that the Prime Minister present a concrete roadmap during his November 21 visit, explaining when Bihar would become free from the recurring threat of floods and when the problem of large-scale migration would be addressed.
"Roads and trains alone cannot ensure the well-being of the people of Bihar. The Prime Minister should explain when the state will get a permanent solution to floods and when migration will end," he said.
Asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of phone tapping, Kishor remarked that surveillance of telephones had been taking place for a long time.
Referring to the Pegasus controversy, he said his name had also figured on a list released during the episode.
"Phone tapping has been happening for a long time. My name was also on the list released during the Pegasus controversy. Many people's phones are tapped. This is the reality, and people have to accept it," he said.
Earlier, Kishor visited different localities of his Bankipur Assembly constituency on Friday, coinciding with Nahay-Khay, the first day of the four-day Chhath festival.
He toured Krishna Puri (Ward 21), Anand Puri (Ward 22), S.K. Puri (Ward 23), Pehalwan Ghat (Ward 24) and other neighbourhoods.
He also visited Buddha Colony in Ward 26 and Langar Toli Gali and Nala Road in Ward 27.
During the visits, he interacted with Chhath devotees and residents and extended his greetings on the occasion of the festival.