People in Bihar need better academic environment job opportunities Prashant Kishor

Patna, Jun 26 (PTI) Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday took a jibe at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for distributing pens at "Chhatra Yuva Sansad", a mass outreach programme in the run-up to assembly polls in Bihar.
    Referring to the unimpressive academic record of the former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Kishor said Yadav would have done better to "pass his Class 10 exams, writing these with one of the pens that he has distributed".
    "Distributing stationery is not going to improve education in Bihar. The people here need a better academic environment and better job opportunities", he told reporters in Bhojpur district, about 100 km from the state capital.
    "The youth of Bihar has to wait for five years to complete their graduation because of irregular academic session. Thereafter, because of lack of employment opportunities, they end up doing menial jobs for survival", the former poll strategist said.
    He added, "the state, where the parents of Tejashwi Yadav (Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi) have been chief ministers for 15 years, is in such a poor condition. Yet, he dreams of becoming the king of Bihar, despite after having been ploughed in his Class 10 tests".
    Kishor mocked Yadav, currently the leader of the opposition in Bihar Assembly, for promising "world class universities" upon the RJD-led coalition coming to power in the state.
    He said, "Yadav should study the report of the survey of castes which was released while he was the Deputy CM. The report says less than five per cent of students from among Scheduled Castes, Muslims and other backward classes are able to clear their Class 12 exams. There is no use of such gimmicks when the reality is so bleak".
    The Jan Suraaj Party founder, also seemed happy at his fledgling party getting the "school bag" as the poll symbol by the Election Commission.
    "Since the day our party was formed, we have been saying that if we win the elections, our top priority would be to bring education back on track. The school bag is a symbol of our resolve to undo the damage inflicted on Bihar by Lalu and (current CM) Nitish who have ruled Bihar for 30 years".
    Asked about Yadav's allegation that the Jan Suraaj Party will be contesting assembly polls as a "B team of the BJP", Kishor shot back "We do not need his certificate".
    He also made light of the rift in Yadav's family, pointing out that his estranged elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav greeted Lalu Prasad on the latter’s birthday, days after being expelled from the RJD.
    "They fight to distract the media. You never know when they will come together again", said Kishor.
    Tej Pratap Yadav has since ruled out the possibility of joining any other party. His video call with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, a distant relative, is being talked about in the political circles here.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)