
PATNA: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday ended his fast-unto-death on the banks of the Ganga in the state capital and announced the launch of a satyagraha for ensuring justice to victims of the existing system.
Kishor had started his indefinite fast on January 2 in support of BPSC candidates demanding cancellation of the 70th combined preliminary competitive examination held on December 13 and a retest. The Jan Suraaj Party had also moved the Patna High Court seeking its intervention to deliver justice to BPSC candidates
Before ending his fast by eating a banana and drinking juice, the former poll strategist took a dip in the Ganga amid the icy winter and announced the launch of a satyagraha in a tent being set up beside JP Path in the Marine Drive locality of the state capital.
He also demanded that chief minister Nitish Kumar undergo an immediate mental health check-up by a panel of government doctors.
Kishor said, "During my 14-day fast-unto-death I came to know that Nitish Kumar's mental condition is not good and he is not in a condition to take any decision on any major issue. There has been no response from the government on the agitation launched by BPSC candidates, which raised suspicion on the mental health of the chief minister."
The former political strategist sought an official declaration from the government on the chief minister's mental health. "The 13 crore people of Bihar should know whether their democratically elected mukhiya's mental health condition is sound and whether he is mentally fit to take decisions on his own or run the government on the advice of selected people for the remaining 10-11 months when assembly polls will be held in the state," he said.
This comes after leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav's repeated remarks that Nitish Kumar is not in a condition to run the government. "A group of retired bureaucrats are running the government and Nitish ji is tired now," Tejashwi has said on several occasions.