Prashant Kishor fumes at Patna police after party supporters injured in march

Patna: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor had a showdown with police here on Wednesday when some of his supporters got injured in "mild use of force" to stop their 'Vidhan Sabha march'.

According to Patna Central SP Diksha, the procession was stopped at Chitkohra roundabout, a few hundred metres away from the Vidhan Sabha premises.

She told PTI, "It is a restricted area where no public gathering is allowed. So when we noticed a crowd approaching, we tried to stop them, and in the process, there was a mild use of force".

The party was staging the march armed with "one crore signatures" collected during a "hastakshar abhiyan" launched by Kishor a couple of months ago, to highlight the Nitish Kumar government's alleged failure to provide assistance to the poor, promised after the caste survey that was conducted two years ago, and inability to check "massive corruption" in the ongoing land survey.

Kishor chose to sit on a "dharna" on the spot, badly affecting traffic near the roundabout which connects Patna airport to VIP areas like the Assembly premises, the secretariat, the Raj Bhavan and the chief minister's residence.

Talking to reporters, he said, "For two months, we have been seeking an appointment with representatives of the government to highlight these issues. Now, left with no choice, when we have hit the streets, I am being told that the chief secretary is ready to meet a delegation comprising five members".

Kishor added, "What would it amount to? What power does the chief secretary have? We must get an appointment with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself. Until we get an appointment with the CM, I am not going to budge".

Blowing hot and cold, he added, "I am ready for a talk with the chief secretary, too, provided he gives a written assurance that our demands will be met in a specified time".

Turning angrily towards the police contingent, he hollered, "Why did you strike my workers with lathis? (sticks) None of us was indulging in any mischief. Nobody had even hurled a pebble".

When police officials said they had to act because the gathering was passing through a restricted area, Kishor shot back, "All right, then I am myself now sitting here. Try hitting me".

The 47-year-old has been nursing a grudge against police in Patna ever since a lathi-charge disrupted a demonstration he had organised in protest against alleged irregularities in a BPSC exam.

Two days later, the former political strategist was himself arrested for unlawfully sitting on a "fast unto death" at the historical Gandhi Maidan, arguably the largest public ground in the state.

He was, however, released on bail by a court on the same day, and his fast unto death ended after a few days, when doctors attending to him at a hospital told him that he must resume taking normal food.

Kishor, who has said his party will contest all 243 seats in the upcoming Assembly polls, was seen ticking off the police personnel at Chitkohra roundabout, when they tried to persuade him to leave the spot.

"Do not mess with me", said Kishor, adding, "I am creating no disturbance here. If you have the guts, try using force against me. The consequences will be so dire that even Nitish Kumar will not be able to save you. His government will find it difficult to survive for even one day".

Meanwhile, the Jan Suraaj Party shared on its WhatsApp group a video of a delegation, headed by state president Manoj Bharti, meeting Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena and submitting a memorandum.