Bihar is “literally a failed state” and requires “tremendous efforts” for its all-round development, said Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor during a virtual interaction with the Bihari diaspora after launching the US chapter of his party, Jan Suraaj.

Confident of a 2025 Assembly election victory, Kishor outlined his plans to lift Bihar out of its current challenges, including revoking the statewide alcohol ban to generate revenue for improving school education.

Addressing the diaspora, the former poll strategist didn’t mince words.“We have to realise that this (Bihar) is a state which is in deep shit. If Bihar were a country, it would be the 11th largest country in terms of population in the world. We have just overtaken Japan in terms of population,” Kishor told the gathering, according to The Indian Express.

However, Kishor asserted that all hope is not lost. Reflecting on his work over the past two-and-a-half years, he said tangible change is possible but requires a long-term commitment.

“Even if the government (of the Jan Suraaj) is formed in 2025 and we continue to work hard with this intensity, it would be a big thing if Bihar becomes a middle-income state by 2029-2030. It is literally a failed state as it stands today on all developmental parameters,” he explained.

“The characteristics of failed states are visible in the population here. For example… sometimes we think… why are people in Sudan fighting for 20 years in the civil war? Because when you are in that failed state, then people are not worried about how our children will study in Sudan. They are worried about who to shoot and where to capture. So that is the situation in Bihar too. And we must be aware of it,” he added.

Despite setbacks in the recent Bihar Assembly bypolls, where Jan Suraaj candidates lost deposits in most seats, Kishor is optimistic. “The Jan Suraaj will win in 2025 (Bihar Assembly elections). There is no doubt about it. (Based on my) electoral understanding, I can clearly see that we will win,” he said, urging the diaspora to rally support among friends and family back home.

Kishor also called out the Bihari diaspora for its lack of tangible contributions. Beyond sessions and talks, I don’t see anything on the ground. Let me be blunt: you don’t do anything, he said, urging them to actively engage in Bihar’s development.

If elected, Jan Suraaj’s immediate focus would be on improving school education and lifting the prohibition on alcohol to fund these initiatives, Kishor said, emphasising that the path to transformation is steep but achievable with collective effort.

The ruling NDA swept the recent bypolls, but Kishor remains undeterred, promising to redefine Bihar’s future if given a chance.