DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday announced that Prashant Kishor’s Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) will strategise their 2021 election campaign. Making the announcement, Stalin tweeted, “Happy to share that many bright & like-minded young professionals of Tamil Nadu are joining us under the banner of @IndianPAC to work with us on our 2021 election and help shape our plans to restore TN to its former glory!”
Thanks Thiru @mkstalin for the opportunity. The @IndianPAC Tamil Nadu team is excited to work with DMK to help secure an emphatic victory in 2021 elections and contribute in putting the state back on the path of progress and prosperity under your able leadership. https://t.co/PXmRLWMrQz
— I-PAC (@IndianPAC) February 2, 2020
Replying to Stalin’s tweet, I-PAC said, “Thanks Thiru @mkstalin for the opportunity. The @IndianPAC Tamil Nadu team is excited to work with DMK to help secure an emphatic victory in 2021 elections and contribute in putting the state back on the path of progress and prosperity under your able leadership.”
In November 2019, Stalin's long-time advisor, Konelelu Sunil, resigned from the leader's team. Incidentally, Sunil himself had been a part of Kishor's team, co-founding the publicity firm Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), until he set off on his own. Sunil set up OMG, another private consulting firm, and had been a key confidant of the DMK chief following the party's massive defeat in the 2014 General Elections. Sunil had been hired after the parliamentary polls that saw rival AIADMK emerge the third largest party in the Lok Sabha, prompting speculations of a national role for then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
I-PAC’s most recent success was in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, where they helped overthrow Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and ensured a huge mandate to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and YSRCP in both Assembly as well as Parliamentary elections.
I-PAC was also roped in by Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in 2015. Subsequently, Kishor joined the JD(U). However, Nitish and Kishor had a fallout over JD(U)’s support to the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act which was introduced by the BJP-led Union government. Earlier, this week, Nitish claimed that Kishor was inducted into the party because former BJP president Amit Shah recommended him. Calling Nitish a liar, Kishor said, “@NitishKumar what a fall for you to lie about how and why you made me join JDU!! Poor attempt on your part to try and make my colour same as yours! And if you are telling the truth who would believe that you still have courage not to listen to someone recommended by @AmitShah?”
.@NitishKumar what a fall for you to lie about how and why you made me join JDU!! Poor attempt on your part to try and make my colour same as yours!
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) January 28, 2020
And if you are telling the truth who would believe that you still have courage not to listen to someone recommended by @AmitShah?