Prashant Kishor Stopped from Entering Nitish Kumar's Ancestral Village, Authorities Cite Lack of Permission

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor was on Sunday stopped by authorities from entering Kalyan Bigha, the ancestral village of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, during a visit to Nalanda district. He had planned to launch a signature campaign and meet locals over unfulfilled government promises.

The administration stated that the party had not obtained prior permission for any gathering in Kalyan Bigha. Nalanda District Magistrate Shashank Shubhankar clarified, “The Jan Suraaj Party had sought permission to hold a public meeting in Bihar Sharif on 18 May, and the district administration had granted them that. But they had not applied for permission to hold any event in Kalyan Bigha.”

Explaining the need for authorisation, he added, “Holding public meetings requires administrative and police preparation. That is why prior permission is mandatory. They were advised to proceed to the approved venue in Bihar Sharif.”

Kishor, visibly upset, spoke to reporters at the spot where he was stopped. “I wanted to interact with locals to see the situation in Kalyan Bigha, the CM’s village. But I am not being allowed. This is Nitish Kumar’s government. Earlier, they stopped Rahul Gandhi from meeting students in Darbhanga. Now they are doing it to me.”

In a heated exchange with officials, Kishor questioned the restriction, saying, “Will you stop me from entering the village? Do I need permission to visit a village? Give it to me in writing, then I will leave. We are law-abiding people.” In response, a Sub-Divisional Magistrate on the scene said, “You need permission as there might be a law-and-order situation. People have filed a complaint.”

Despite the setback, Kishor later proceeded to Bihar Sharif, where he addressed supporters and officially launched the party’s signature campaign. The campaign is focused on holding the government accountable for promises made to the state’s poor and marginalised.

The Jan Suraaj Party’s campaign will centre around three key issues: the unfulfilled promise of providing ₹2 lakh each to 94 lakh poor families, the pledge to allocate three decimals of land to Mahadalit households, and alleged corruption in the ongoing land survey.

Kishor had earlier announced that his party would collect signatures from one crore residents across 40,000 villages by 11 July. These signatures would be submitted to the Governor and the Chief Minister if the government fails to provide clarity within a month on the status of the promises.