Prashant Kishor demands arrest of Bihar deputy CM, claims ₹241 crore earnings transparently

Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on September 29 escalated his attack on Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and JD(U) Rural Works Minister Ashok Choudhary, calling for the immediate arrest of the Deputy CM over alleged historical crimes and corruption.

Speaking at a press conference in Patna, Kishor repeated allegations against Choudhary regarding the 1995 Tarapur massacre, in which seven members of the Kushwaha community were killed. Kishor claimed Choudhary submitted forged documents to appear as a minor during investigations. He also raised questions about Choudhary’s alleged involvement in the 1999 deaths of two individuals, which were later ruled suicides by the CBI.

Kishor announced that a JSP delegation would meet the Bihar Governor to push for Choudhary’s dismissal and that he would also write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the matter.

The Deputy CM did not respond to requests for comment, while the BJP dismissed Kishor’s allegations as “baseless” and politically motivated. Danish Eqbal, Bihar BJP media in-charge, said, “Prashant Kishor is resorting to sensationalism to stay relevant. The Tarapur massacre case was adjudicated, and Choudhary was acquitted. Even Lalu Prasad Yadav had to apologize for wrong accusations.”

Kishor also renewed his accusations against JD(U) minister Ashok Choudhary, alleging that the minister had extorted a 5% commission from government contracts worth over ₹20,000 crore in the last eight months and acquired illegal properties valued at ₹500 crore. Ashok Choudhary, however, denied the allegations, calling them “false and baseless,” and challenged Kishor to present evidence in a legal affidavit.

Addressing questions about his own finances, Kishor revealed that he earned ₹241 crore in the last three years through consultancy services, paying ₹30.95 crore in GST and ₹20 crore in income tax. “Every ₹ is accounted for. I am not a thief,” he said, adding that ₹98.75 crore from his personal accounts were donated to the Jan Suraaj Party.

Kishor claimed his consultancy work spans multiple industries, citing ₹11 crore earned from Navyuga Constructions for a two-hour advisory session. He emphasized that he never charged for political advice before entering politics in 2021, and pledged to dedicate his earnings over the next decade to improving Bihar’s governance.

Reacting to Kishor’s financial disclosure, BJP’s Danish Eqbal questioned the legitimacy of his consultancy work, alleging it was an attempt to divert attention from Kishor’s own activities.