Political strategist Prashant Kishor has criticised both the Congress and the BJP, stating that they, at different points of time, essentially disregarded the welfare of Bihar for the sake of their political interests. He pointed out that in 1989-90, the Congress, having lost in Bihar, handed over the state to Lalu Yadav, effectively selling Bihar along with its own organisation. The consequences of this betrayal by the Congress in 1990 are still affecting the party.
During the 1990s, when Congress was in power in Bihar, it lost an election and left the state in the hands of Lalu Yadav, regardless of the implications for the people of Bihar. Similarly, the BJP made a similar mistake by giving control of Bihar to Nitish Kumar without considering the welfare of the state. Though the BJP was the largest party in Bihar in 2020, it didn’t assume power and instead made Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister, despite him having only 42 MLAs. This decision was made to maintain a political alliance with Nitish and secure the victory of 30-35 MPs from Bihar.
Prashant Kishor further questioned why Sonia Gandhi and the Congress had handed Bihar over to Lalu Prasad Yadav. This, according to him, was because they were more focused on sending 20, 25, or 30 MPs to Delhi, neglecting the concerns and needs of the people of Bihar. It is a tragic situation for Bihar, as both national parties, Congress in 1990 and BJP in later years, seemingly prioritized their political ambitions over the development and progress of the state. He highlighted that Bihar’s politicians, such as Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar, have often employed a strategy of dividing and ruling the society to maintain their grip on power.
