PK OFFERED A DEAL TO CAMPAIGN IN BANKIPUR

PK OFFERED A DEAL TO CAMPAIGN IN BANKIPUR

31-JULY-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-----------------------"Our family is not affiliated with any political party, nor do we wish to canvass for anyone. It is extremely unfortunate that this fight for justice is being turned into a political pawn." These are the words of Suman Devi, Bharat Tiwari's sister-in-law. She stated that Prashant Kishor had proposed that they campaign in the Bankipur by-election under the guise of securing justice—a proposal rejected by the entire family, including Bharat Tiwari's mother.

The family members of Bharat Tiwari, who was killed in a police encounter, have leveled serious allegations against Prashant Kishor, the architect of the Jan Suraaj party. They claim that following the incident, Prashant Kishor had assured them he would help secure justice, yet more than a month and a half has passed without any concrete steps being taken in this regard.

Bharat Tiwari's sister-in-law stated that since they had received no justice and the issues her brother-in-law had been fighting for remained unresolved, the family—exhausted and frustrated—met BJP MP and renowned singer Manoj Tiwari at Saguna Mor in Danapur to request his intervention in securing justice.

Suman Devi recounted that Prashant Kishor had met the aggrieved family after the incident. At that time, he had assured them that if action was not taken against the guilty within 15 days, he would launch an agitation.

"More than a month and a half has passed since then, yet no concrete initiative has been taken by Prashant Kishor on behalf of Jan Suraaj." "When we tried to contact them again, there was no response from their side." – Suman Devi, Bharat Tiwari's sister-in-law.

Bharat Tiwari's family claims that Prashant Kishor's party, Jan Suraaj, had offered an opportunity to campaign for the Bankipur by-election. Furthermore, photographs of his son and brother-in-law were being used for the Bankipur by-election campaign without their consent. Expressing strong objection, the family stated that using Bharat Tiwari's image on election hoardings and promotional material was completely inappropriate.

However, after meeting the family, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, "Until now, we did not have complete or accurate information regarding this matter; we had received only limited details through the administration and the media. After listening to the family's account and understanding the issue in detail, I offered them solace and assured them that I would advocate on their behalf with the administration to ensure justice."

Expressing their anguish, Bharat Tiwari's family noted that the public interest issues and problems Bharat used to raise remain unresolved to this day. Conditions in the village have deteriorated; floodwaters have entered people's homes, yet neither the administration nor any other authority is taking steps to improve the situation. The family clearly stated that their sole objective is to secure justice for Bharat Tiwari and find solutions to the public issues he left unaddressed.

Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor's party has responded to the allegations made by Bharat Tiwari's family. Jan Suraaj leader Kishor Kumar Munna dismissed all the allegations, stating, "The people of Bankipur will give the answer to this."