Now Prashant Kishor asks "non BJP CMs" to come clean on CAB

JD(U)s vice-president Prashant Kishor on Friday launched a veiled attack on his party boss, Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar, lauding the latters counterparts in Punjab, West Bengal and Kerala for having said "no to CAB and NRC" and asserting it was "time for others to make their stand clear". The poll strategist-turned-politician, who has been lambasting his own party for supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament, also came out with the impassioned statement "beyond the judiciary, the task of saving the soul of India is on 16 non-BJP CMs".

"The majority prevailed in Parliament. Now beyond judiciary, the task of saving the soul of India is on 16 Non- BJP CMs as it is the states who have to operationalise these acts. 3 CMs (Punjab/Kerala/WB) have said NO to #CAB and #NRC. Time for others to make their stand clear", tweeted Kishor.

His fresh comment came a day after he declared that he was "not giving up" his stance on the issue despite appeals from senior JD(U) leaders that once the party has taken an official stand on the issue, people must not air their "personal opinions" in public. Kishor, who was inducted into the party in September last year and elevated to the top post weeks later, had started off with expression of disappointment earlier this week over the JD(U)s decision to support the Bill, holding it to be against its commitment to secularism and Gandhian ideals.

As the JD(U), an NDA ally, hardened its stance, Kishors outbursts grew shriller. Known for his disapproval of Kumar walking out of the Grand Alliance in 2017 and choosing to form a new government with BJP instead of seeking a fresh mandate,Kishor asked the party leadership to "spare a moment" to recall victory of 2015 assembly polls without which "the party and its managers would not have been left with much to cut any deal with anyone".

Its speculated that Kumar who had been opposed to NRC in Assam because of the unrest it caused in north-east relented on CAB despite the Bill having similar impact by way of returning favour to BJP chief Amit Shah,who recently silenced Kumar's detractors in state BJP by making it clear that the JD(U) chief would lead NDA in the Assembly polls next year. Meanwhile, the Bihar BJP squirmed at the latest salvo from Kishor with whom it has been sore for his close association with anti-NDA players like Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee.

"There are intentional fools in this country who do not have faith in parliamentary democratic system. They must know that once a bill is passed by parliamentit becomes the law of the land which must be respected by every citizen of India.#CAB", party spokesman Nikhil Anand tweeted, without naming the JD(U) vice-president. Notably, Kishors first claim to fame was his handling of the spectacularly successful election campaign of Narendra Modi in 2014 who was then the Gujarat Chief Minister and the BJPs Prime Ministerial candidate..