Bihar: Prashant Kishor promises jobs, better schools in Bankipur

Patna, Aug 11 (IANS) Jan Suraaj Party founder and newly elected Bankipur MLA Prashant Kishor visited his constituency for the first time after his victory on Tuesday and attended a series of gratitude meetings.

During the meetings, Kishor announced plans focused on employment, education, ration cards and pensions. He said arrangements would be made to help secure private‑sector jobs for at least 10,000 youths from Bankipur within the next year. Educated young people were urged to submit their resumes at the Jan Suraaj office so that employment opportunities could be arranged.

Addressing a gathering, Kishor said people had been wondering about his whereabouts during the four or five days following his election victory. Still, he had been working for the public during that period.

“If your child is educated, submit their resume to my office. We will immediately arrange jobs for at least 10,000 youths from here,” he said, adding that he had contacted people and organisations across the country to explore employment opportunities for the youth of Bihar.

He claimed that once the Jan Suraaj system was established in Bihar, young people would no longer have to migrate to other states in search of employment.

Speaking at a gratitude meeting at Yarpur Rajputana Gopal Sharan Singh Path, Kishor said people would experience meaningful change only when the systems governing education and employment improved.

He sought three months to address issues related to ration cards and pensions, claiming that after this period people would not be asked to pay even a single rupee as a bribe for obtaining a ration card. He said ration card holders would receive five kilograms of food grains.

In addition, residents aged above 60 who are currently not receiving the Rs 1,100 monthly pension were invited to submit their applications at his office. Kishor said efforts would be made to resolve problems related to ration cards and pensions within three months.

He also aimed Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, saying the Bankipur by‑election result had already brought a change in the political discourse in Bihar. “Ever since the Bankipur results were declared, there has been no talk of ‘encounters’ in Bihar; instead, the conversation revolves around education and employment every day. This is the power of your vote,” he said.

Referring to his election campaign, Kishor claimed that he had told voters that defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would lead to a change in the Chief Minister’s style of functioning. He said that although the political leadership had not necessarily changed, the government’s working style had changed, according to his assessment.

Education was another major focus of Kishor’s address. He promised to improve the condition of government schools within one year. Kishor said that if the promised improvements were not achieved, he would personally take responsibility for arranging private‑school education for children from Bankipur, assuring parents that they would not have to worry about the fees.

He identified employment, education, the Rs 1,100 pension and five kilograms of food grains as his priority areas of work.

Before the gratitude meetings, Kishor attended a memorial and tribute programme at Shaheed Ram Govind Singh Girls’ High School in Dashratha. He later interacted with residents at meetings held at Yarpur Rajputana, Hanuman Path in Jakkanpur and the Grand Palace Hall at Langartoli Chowk in Ward 40.

Commenting on student protests in Jharkhand over an alleged paper leak, Kishor said similar concerns had been raised by students elsewhere, including protests at Jantar Mantar in Patna. He said students were distressed by alleged paper leaks, problems in the education system and unemployment. Kishor argued that young people would inevitably take to the streets to raise their concerns and alleged that politicians responsible for such problems were responding with police action.

He said the voice of protesting students could not be suppressed and called for greater attention to education, employment and examination‑related issues.

–IANS

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