Amid mental fitness debate in Bihar, Chirag backs PK on BPSC

BJP Health Minister Mangal Pandey fired back at Prashant Kishor’s comments, accusing him of losing mental balance after political setbacks. Pandey offered to escort Kishor to a mental health facility, dismissing him as a dramatist unfit for Bihar’s leadership arena.

BY PC Bureau

Mental Health Allegations Spark War of Words in Bihar Politics

The political landscape in Bihar has been charged with sharp exchanges over mental fitness of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor.

Adding to the political drama, Lok Janshakti Party leader and Union Minister Chirag Paswan has thrown a curveball at both the BJP and Nitish Kumar by openly supporting Prashant Kishor. Paswan has backed Kishor’s demand for canceling the alliance between the BJP and Nitish Kumar, further intensifying the already charged political atmosphere in Bihar. Paswan’s support for Kishor is likely to upset both the JD(U) and BJP, as both parties have defended the sanctity of the BPSC examination and accused Kishor of staging protests for political gain.

Kishor was first to launch an offensive against Nitish Kumar, questioning his mental and physical capacity to lead, only to face a biting counterattack from senior BJP leader and Health Minister Mangal Pandey.

Attack: Prashant Kishor on Nitish Kumar

Prashant Kishor, transitioning from poll strategist to political activist, launched a scathing critique of Nitish Kumar, accusing Kumar of being unfit to govern.

“A large section in Bihar wonders if Nitish Kumar is mentally and physically capable of providing leadership,” he said.” I demand a medical examination of the Chief minister.”

Kishor also drew parallels between the BJP’s support for Kumar and Congress’ earlier backing of Lalu Yadav, which, he claimed, led to Congress’ downfall in Bihar. He warned the BJP of a similar fate, alleging their alliance with Kumar was a “political compulsion” and predicted his party would gain an absolute majority in the next election.

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Counterattack: Mangal Pandey Strikes Back

Bihar Health Minister and senior BJP leader Mangal Pandey wasted no time responding to Kishor’s remarks. Pandey turned the mental health allegations on Kishor, suggesting that he had lost his mental balance after facing rejection from the people of Bihar.

बीपीएससी 70वीं परीक्षा में धांधली हुई है और इसकी जिम्मेदारी BPSC को लेनी चाहिए- चिराग पासवान (केंद्रीय मंत्री,भारत सरकार)#BPSC_70th #Bihar #ChiragPaswan pic.twitter.com/1nS6LAnn5W
— SOURAV RAJ (@souravreporter2) January 17, 2025

“Now that the people of Bihar have inflicted misery on Prashant Kishor’s political ambitions, he has lost his mental balance. He might soon land in a mental institution.”

Pandey went further, offering to personally escort Kishor to the mental health facility in Koelwar, 30 kilometers from Patna. In a biting retort, he said:

“Kishor, who once wrote slogans, is now indulging in theatrics to become a leader. The people of Bihar will never accept such dramatics. His fast-unto-death drama failed, and now he needs medical attention. I’ll ensure he receives the best treatment for his mental illness.”

Backdrop and Implications<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”hi” dir=”ltr”>प्रशांत किशोर का इलाज कराएगी नीतीश सरकार! मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार की मानसिक स्थिति पर सवाल उठाने पर मंगल पांडेय ने कहा है कि उपवास के कारण प्रशांत किशोर का दिमाग खराब हो गया है.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bihar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Bihar</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BiharNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BiharNews</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/mangalpandeybjp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@mangalpandeybjp</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/prashantkishore?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#prashantkishore</a> <a href=”https://t.co/YhgQlpwyT0″>pic.twitter.com/YhgQlpwyT0</a></p>— FirstBiharJharkhand (@firstbiharnews) <a href=”https://twitter.com/firstbiharnews/status/1880182144657682692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

This heated exchange comes at a time when Bihar’s political dynamics are already tense, with alliances shifting and new players like Kishor entering the fray. Kishor’s claims of sidelining traditional alliances in favor of Jan Suraaj mark an ambitious move.

Enters Chirag Paswan:

Chirag Paswan raised concerns over allegations of irregularities in the 70th Combined Preliminary Examination conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). He has demanded that the exam be conducted again to ensure fairness and transparency. Chirag Paswan has also supported the issues raised by Jan Suraaj convener Prashant Kishor, aligning with his demand for accountability in the examination process.

VIDEO | Jan Suraaj party chief Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) ends his hunger strike after 14 days. Kishor had been on ‘fast-unto-death’ since January 2 in protest against alleged irregularities in a BPSC exam held last month.#PrashantKishor pic.twitter.com/9dhQOrUL0u
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 16, 2025

Paswan stated that if he were not in the government, he would have joined the protest alongside the BPSC candidates. Questioning the process of conducting a re-examination at only one center, he argued that it provides an unfair advantage and sets a harmful precedent. He emphasized that the BPSC must take responsibility, conduct a high-level investigation into the matter, take action against those responsible, and arrange for a re-examination for all candidates.

Prashant Kishor has also alleged large-scale corruption in the BPSC examination process and is currently on a hunger strike, demanding the cancellation of the exam. He claims that exam seats were sold for sums ranging from ₹30 lakh to ₹1.5 crore. (

Meanwhile, the Patna High Court has declined to stay the results of the 70th BPSC examination while hearing a petition on the matter.

The allegations of corruption in the BPSC examination have sparked political and social debates in Bihar, with various leaders and organizations voicing their opinions and demanding justice for the affected candidates.