NEW DELHI: Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor on Sunday dismissed the “notion” that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holds any meaningful sway over Gen Z voters in Bihar. He further criticised Gandhi’s limited engagement and understanding of the state.
In an exclusive interview with news agency ANI, Kishor said, “How much knowledge does Rahul Gandhi have here? Rahul Gandhi comes here, roams around, does a couple of show bites and then he is gone.”He questioned the idea that Bihar’s youth would rally behind Gandhi’s calls on issues like “vote theft” or protecting democracy.“When the people of Bihar are not listening to him (Rahul Gandhi), then why would Gen Z listen to him? Gen Z is not a homogeneous group in Bihar who acts on someone’s call or on the basis of their assessment,” he said.Referring to recent protests in Nepal that led to the fall of the former PM KP Sharma Oli’s government, Kishor said some people were “getting excited” after the Gen Z movement there but stressed that Bihar’s political landscape is different.“Bihar is a very political place. It is not like Bangalore. People won’t have clothes, food, jobs, but there is a lot of political optimism among the people here. And the result of this is that people are leaving their work and doing politics day and night. But I don’t think there is going to be a revolution by someone’s call here,” he said.Kishor underlined that youth play an important role in Bihar’s politics, primarily because of unemployment and migration.“The youth between 20 and 30 years, who are facing a bit of unemployment. Not a bit, I mean he is facing a lot of difficulties due to unemployment. They are forced to go out, enduring the tough life there. That is definitely a big factor in Bihar. You can call him Gen Z, you can call him a youth, you can call him a millennial. This is the terminology,” he said.Commenting on the Congress party’s role in the upcoming elections, Jan Suraaj founder said it remains marginal.“I had also said at that time that Congress is a follower of RJD in Bihar. They are a big party of the country. They are the leaders of the opposition in the country. They belong to the Gandhi family. So it is natural that the media will cover them,” he said.“But from the point of view of Bihar, there is no presence of Congress. Congress is not a factor. There is no discussion of Congress. What is Congress doing? Congress has little effect. Politically, you can see it in Seemanchal. In Seemanchal, I think that even today, the Muslims are more tilted towards Congress than RJD,” he added.Hours before the first phase of polling, Gandhi had appealed to young voters, particularly Gen Z to come forward and “save democracy through truth and non-violence.”In a video message posted on X, Congress leader addressed “Gen Z brothers and sisters” from Bihar, urging them to turn out in large numbers and vote responsibly.“My young friends from Bihar, my Gen-Z brothers and sisters — tomorrow is not just a day for voting, but a day to decide the direction of Bihar’s future,” he said.Referring to his repeated “vote theft” allegations, Gandhi added, “You’ve seen how in Haryana, a nefarious game of vote theft was played. In Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh — everywhere, these people have tried to suppress the people’s voice. Now their eyes are on Bihar, on your votes, on your future.”He urged voters to “stay vigilant against every conspiracy” and to “walk the path of truth and non-violence” while supporting Mahagathbandhan candidates in their constituencies.The first phase of the Bihar assembly elections concluded peacefully on Thursday with a record voter turnout, while the remaining 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase on November 11. Counting will take place on November 14.
