It is sheer elitism to call a 10-odd-day trip of Rahul Gandhi to Bihar a ‘yatra’: Prashant Kishor

Prashant Kishor

Jan Suraaj's founder Prashant Kishor on Monday dismissed  Rahul Gandhi’s recent 10-day tour in Bihar as a “yatra,” calling it “sheer elitism.”

Speaking in an interview with The Indian Express, Kishor said the term unfairly exaggarates what he views as routine political campaigning, arguing that his own three-year on-ground engagement in Bihar has been ignored by the media.

Kishor said that while Rahul Gandhi’s trip was being branded a “yatra,” very little attention is paid to others who travel extensively through villages and districts.

“The media pays him too much attention because he is the son of a former prime minister. I have been travelling through the length and breadth of Bihar for three years, but not many are talking about it," he said.

On the question of voter rights and recent controversies like Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, vote “chori” allegations, or narratives of “ghuspaithiya” (illegal immigrants), Kishor said that India’s democracy is strong.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that anyone who has a valid document is entitled to vote. One who has an Aadhaar card is a voter,” he said. He called those claiming people will lose their voting rights “fools.”

Additionally, Kishor slammed both the ruling NDA and the opposition for failing to address Bihar’s pressing issues of migration, education, unemployment, and for indulging in “questionable narrative battles.”

He said discussions should move beyond political optics and focus on real problems affecting daily lives.

He further claimed about 60% of people wants change, cutting across caste and religion, even if they may not directly back the JSP.