Prashant Kishor lashes out at Chandrababu Naidu for 'Bihari dacoit' barb

Patna: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor Tuesday lashed out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for reportedly calling him a "Bihari dacoit". He charged the TDP chief with having displayed "prejudice and malice" against the eastern state fearing an "imminent defeat" at the hustings.

Kishor, who is also the national vice-president of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumars JD(U), was reacting to a news report wherein Naidu had also blamed him for deletion of lakhs of voters in Andhra Pradesh besides giving "criminal advice" to his main rival the YSR Congress.

"An imminent defeat can rattle even the most seasoned politicians. So I am not surprised with the baseless utterances of @ncbn (Naidus twitter handle). Sirji, rather than using derogatory language that shows your prejudice and malice against Bihar, just focus on why the people of AP should vote for you again," Kishor tweeted while sharing the link to the news item.

Assembly polls are being held in Andhra Pradesh alongside the parliamentary elections. Naidu had last year pulled out of the BJP-led NDA of which the JD(U) is a part. Although now formally associated with the JD(U), Kishor is earlier known to have worked closely with many political figures cutting across ideological affiliations. He achieved fame after having handled Narendra Modis election campaign in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which was followed by his association with the Grand Alliance in Bihar, which saw arch rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad joining hands to inflict a crushing defeat on the NDA in the assembly polls next year.

He thereafter worked with the Congress during assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab which, achieved mixed results. In September last year, he was inducted into the JD(U) and elevated to the number two post within a few weeks, leading to speculations that he was being seen as a successor to Nitish Kumar.

The speculations were laid to rest when Kumar made it clear that his party was "not a monarchy" and hence there were no successors. Kishor, nevertheless, has helped the partys students wing to achieve unexpected victories in some university polls and is working on transforming the JD(U) into a platform for youths with aptitude for politics.