Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, speaking in the heart of Bihar's Mithila, told the region's famed Brahmins some uncomfortable truths about their declining fortunes, involvement in politics and the obsession with past glory. Instead of flattering the community, as many politicians would do, Kishor questioned why Brahmins of Bihar (around 3-4% of the state's population) remained economically distressed despite having elected Brahmin MLAs and MPs for years.
Invoking Lord Parshuram, the axe-wielding warrior-sage revered by Brahmins, Prashant Kishor told the Mithila's Brahmins that their real strength was not in wielding the axe but in holding the pen, reading books, preserving their centuries-old tradition of scholarship, and invoking Goddess Saraswati, the deity of wisdom and knowledge.
Prashant Kishor or PK also claimed that Brahmin leaders in Bihar once enjoyed the support of Muslims, who account for around 18% of Bihar's population, but lost that backing after aligning with the BJP and alienating the community.
The remarks were made at a gathering in Darbhanga district and Jan Suraaj posted on X on November 5. Videos were shared by Jan Suraaj on the official YouTube handle on November 6 and by influencers thereafter. Some of the clips have gone viral now. Most of the reactions to PK's remarks were appreciative, with several people praising PK's candour, while others slammed him. But what exactly did Kishor say? And how much of his criticism of the community holds true?
Reacting to the video on X, New Delhi-based political analyst Madan Mohan Jha said, "What Prashant Kishor said to a Brahmin gathering in Darbhanga has set off a debate, but in my view it is closer to reality." Another handle on X, Bihari Man, said, "Prashant Kishor came into the election promising to fight for education and employment, talking about Bihari identity and unity. But now, even he has shifted to caste-based politics involving Brahmins and Muslims."
WHY FIELD-A-BRAHMIN REQUEST TRIGGERED PRASHANT KISHOR
The Jan Suraaj founder's remarks came after a participant at the Darbhanga event demanded that a Brahmin be fielded as the candidate from his party. PK responded by questioning the community's electoral choices. He described Mithila as "a former land of scholars" that had become a "land of labourers", and argued that the Brahmins had abandoned the education and social responsibility that once defined them.
His speech appeared to be a lecture about caste pride, which many people on social media said, "no other leader could do". It challenged the belief among the Brahmins that electing leaders from the community guaranteed prosperity and questioned the cost of polarisation. In Bihar, where caste alliances are central to politics, elections and messaging, PK's remarks were also a pointed critique of the BJP and conventional vote-bank calculations prevalent in the state.
Kishor, himself a Brahmin but not a Maithil Brahmin, hails from Konar village in Bihar's southwestern Rohtas district and grew up in Buxar in the Bhojpur region.
Prashant Kishor's remarks come after two significant electoral breakthroughs for the Jan Suraaj Party. He won the Bankipur Assembly by poll in August by defeating the BJP candidate in a seat long considered its bastion. Weeks ago, the Jan Suraaj Party's first MLC win also came from Darbhanga. The PK-led party now seeks to expand its footprint and take the opposition space in Bihar.
PK CONFRONTS MITHILA BRAHMINS, SPEAKS ON BJP AND MUSLIM VOTES
The speech, which went viral on social media on Sunday, was delivered at a Brahmin community event in Mahinam village of Darbhanga district, according to reports.
Kishor, the Bankipur MLA, was responding to a demand that the constituency's candidate should be a Brahmin. "Your MLA is already a Brahmin. And not just for a day or two, but for 15 years," Kishor said. "Your MP is also a Brahmin. Then, why are you living in such hardship? If electing a Brahmin alone could solve your problems, you should not have been suffering at all."
The remarks challenged the assumption that caste-based representation necessarily delivered development for the community.
Kishor also turned to Mithila, its Brahmins, their celebrated intellectual heritage, and contrasted it with what he said he had witnessed during his foot marches through Darbhanga and Madhubani. "This was once the land of scholars. Today, it has become the land of labourers," he said. "People whose present has lost its shine talk about their past. Those who cannot see a future for themselves talk about their grandfathers and great-grandfathers."
PK claimed that children from more than half of village families were struggling to find jobs paying Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. Kishor said even people owning 20 to 30 bighas of land privately approached him seeking recommendations for their children's employment. "Hey, brother, there is a child in our family. Could you help him get a job paying Rs 20,000? Otherwise, we are struggling to make ends meet," he recalled being told.
Mithila's Brahmins have a distinct identity rooted in centuries of Sanskrit scholarship, Maithili literature, the Panji genealogical tradition and the legacy of the Darbhanga Raj. Despite their relatively small numbers, their historical influence on education, landownership and Bihar politics has made them an important electoral constituency in north Bihar.
Brahmins, often from Mithila, have held Bihar's top political offices. Mithila stalwarts Binodanand Jha, three-time Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, and his brother Lalit Narayan Mishra are among the prominent examples, alongside Bhagwat Jha Azad and Bindeshwari Dubey.
Another section of Prashant Kishor's speech questioned the Brahmin community's relationship with Muslims, extremely backward classes (EBCs) and the BJP. Kishor claimed Brahmin leaders had historically enjoyed support from Muslim voters but lost it after aligning themselves with the BJP and engaging in anti-Muslim rhetoric on social media.
"You started carrying the BJP's flag, and the Muslim votes drifted away. What dispute do you have with Muslims, over land or reservations? You abuse them on Facebook, and then wonder why those who once voted for you have abandoned you," he said.
Invoking Lord Parashurama, Kishor urged Brahmins to rediscover their traditional strengths of education and scholarship. "Your strength is the pen and books. Your job is not to wield the axe," he said. "There is a context to Parashurama taking up the battleaxe," said PK.
PK'S SPEECH DIVIDES INTERNET: WINS APPLAUSE, ATTRACTS CRITICISM
People highlighted PK's Rs 20,000 job remark, with some describing the speech as a "reality check bomb" for "intellectual" Mithilanchal.
New Delhi-based political analyst Madan Mohan Jha, who said that PK's assessment was "closer to reality", added, "Some have objected to his tone, but the substance speaks to something real in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh: a section of upper-caste voters feels unheard by the party it supported, and rivals are telling it that it has more to gain from broader coalitions. Honest words, even uncomfortable ones, are rarer in politics than they should be."
A person on X, Bahari Bihari, called Prashant Kishor "The wisest politician for a reason!"
Another person on X, Bairagi, praised Kishor's remarks, calling them a "hard-hitting truth". He urged Maithil Brahmins to reflect on their declining political influence. "Wisdom and scholarship are your true inheritance, dear Maithil Brahmins," the account posted, adding that the community "should listen to his words carefully and introspect on their declining political influence and deteriorating political standing."
The speech also attracted criticism and generated accusations. New Delhi-based journalist Uma Shankar lashed out at Kishor for his remarks, accusing him of insulting the Maithil community in its own heartland. "Prashant Kishor is nothing but a fraud and a fool who can barely express himself properly. And now he has the audacity to insult Maithils in the heart of Mithila itself," he wrote on X.
On Facebook, Rahul Jha wrote, "People from Mithila voted for him and made him win [in the MLC polls], and now look at all this." Akhalesh Jha said, "Don't shout so much." Subhakar Kumar Jha cheered, "Jan Suraaj Zindabad".
Jan Suraaj Sangharsh Vahini state president Anup Maithil took to X and alleged that the BJP's IT cell was spreading confusion about Kishor's remarks after they received public support.
Darbhanga-based social worker Yadav Kushewar defended Prashant Kishor in a Facebook comment. He argued that his remarks were being wrongly portrayed as an insult to the Maithil Brahmin community. "If someone speaks the truth and calls things as they are, how can that be considered an insult? Kishor's words should not be mistaken for disrespect. His opponents will naturally portray them as an insult to mislead the community," Yadav Kushewar wrote on Facebook.
So, to sum up, Prashant Kishor argued that Brahmins historically earned respect through knowledge, education and concern for others, rather than displaying a distinct assertive caste identity. "Even if it meant eating one roti less, you ensured your children received an education," he said, accusing the community of abandoning those values in pursuit of personal benefits.
He has also delivered a message directed at his opponents as he said that the Brahmins elected leaders from their own caste, but that didn't necessarily guarantee jobs, education or prosperity. If PK's assessment of Mithila is entirely accurate, it is debatable, but the remarks have challenged the community's pride in its intellectual past and its voting choices. By questioning caste loyalties before a Brahmin gathering rather than praising their much-repeated heritage and culture, Prashant Kishor has sparked a debate that has now travelled out of Darbhanga.
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