PATNA: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today attacked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for allowing his erstwhile election strategist Prashant Kishore to take up political role with Congress despite being his Advisor on policy and programme implementation.
"Why does not the Chief Minister make Kishore his political advisor or minister so that the latter should have freedom to take up political role with the JD(U) or Congress by removing him from the post of an advisor (policy and programme implementation) with the rank of cabinet minister?" Modi said.
Noting that a bad precedent has been set wherein an individual occupying position in the government now plays active role in politics, be it in the JD(U) or Congress, the former deputy chief minister asked Kumar to review the role of his former election strategist and allot him work either in the capacity of a political advisor or (as) advisor on policy and programme implementation.
If needed, the Chief Minister has the discretion to make Kishore a minister in his government so that he could assist Kumar politically and extend similar services to the Congress or other parties, the senior BJP leader said.
Regarding Kumar having given a dominant role to his trusted aide in formulation and implementation of government policies, Modi claimed this move has sent a wrong signal to the Bihar bureaucracy whose morale has been badly hit by Kumar's dependence on his erstwhile election strategist.
Kishore had successfully managed general elections for Narendra Modi in 2014 before achieving stupendous results for the JD(U) and grand alliance in Bihar to emerge as an election strategist of repute.
He also occupies the post of member of governing council for Bihar Development Mission formed to implement Kumar's ambitious seven resolves.
Kishore had been roped in by former Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh and by the Congress to formulate strategy for its revival in Uttar Pradesh.