My Padyatra Not An Evidence Of My Physical Fitness: Prashant Kishor's Jibe At Rahul-Led Bharat Jodo Yatra

Political strategist Prashant Kishor took a dig at Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra when he was asked if he saw any parallel between his and Gandhi's Yatra. Kishor responded by saying 'Bade log hai'

Political strategist Prashant Kishor during Jan Suraaj's press conference in Bihar

Source : Getty

New Delhi: Political strategist Prashant Kishor praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, while also taking a dig at it. When the IPAC founder who currently himself is on a Padayatra in Bihar was asked by journalists in Mohtihari whether he saw any parallels between his effort and that of Gandhi, he said: "Bade log hain (they are big people). Compared with them, I am a nobody."

Kishor's sarcasm was evident in his statement: "Rahul Gandhi is on a 3,500 km-long march. For me, kilometers do not matter. I have been walking non-stop since October. But I do not want to show it off as evidence of my physical fitness."

The former strategist insisted that he had infused his campaign with a "purity of intent".

With a rhetorical flourish, he said: "It is like the austerities of Chhath. One can have a sip of water. But true devotees do not make such a compromise and complete a gruelling 36 hour-long fast. Not for me breaks during the New Year or visits to my home. Nor do I agree to hitch short rides on my way to the next destination." It was as clear as glass that Kishor pointed out at Bharat Jodo Yatra's winter break in Delhi.

Presently Kishor is on 'Jan Suraaj' Yatra after numerous unsuccessful rounds of negotiations to join the Congress.

Kishor initially garnered notoriety after managing Narendra Modi's wildly effective campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. After the West Bengal assembly elections in 2021 wherein his client Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee won with her biggest-ever margin of victory, he decided to call quits on his career as a professional strategist.

Amarinder Singh, Arvind Kejriwal, Jagan Mohan Reddy, K Chandrashekar Rao, Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray, M. K. Stalin, Jagan Mohan Reddy, and K Chandrashekar Rao were just a few of the prominent politicians with whom the founder of IPAC has conducted business.

(With inputs from PTI)