Janata Dal (United) MLA Anant Kumar Singh has triggered a political controversy in Bihar after claiming that he had nine people murdered to help former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Singh later changed his explanation, saying that nine of his associates were killed after he aligned himself with Kumar.
The controversy has prompted the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to target Kumar, while the JD(U) has distanced itself from Singh’s remarks.
Singh, who represents Mokama in the Bihar Assembly, made the initial statement while criticising the party’s decision to field his political rival, Neeraj Kumar, in the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections.
“Nitish Kumar and I go back a long way. To help him, I got nine people murdered. I stood by him in times when he was struggling to find a toehold,” Singh said.
Anant Singh Changes His Statement, Blames Lalu Yadav
As the controversy grew, Singh offered a different account of the incident, denying that he had ordered the murders.
He claimed that nine of his associates were killed during the tenure of the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led government because they had supported Nitish Kumar.
“During the Lalu Yadav government, nine of my associates were killed, and I myself was shot. It was because we aligned ourselves with Nitish Kumar that Lalu Yadav had them killed,” Singh said.
He also said that he had suffered personal losses, adding that his father had died of a heart attack.
Singh’s remarks came amid his differences with the JD(U) over Neeraj Kumar’s candidature. He has opposed his political rival’s nomination and expressed support for Jan Suraaj Party candidate Anuj Singh.
JD(U) Defends Nitish Kumar’s Record
The JD(U) sought to distance itself from Singh’s initial remarks, with national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad dismissing them as unworthy of serious consideration.
“Nitish Kumar has stood out for an untainted record, with no blemishes of hobnobbing with criminals and involvement in violence or any type of negativity,” Prasad said.
He added that the party did not consider Singh’s statement worthy of attention and said the public was unlikely to take it seriously.
JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha also said the party’s state leadership had taken note of the controversy following Singh’s statement and subsequent clarification.
RJD Targets Nitish Kumar Over Remarks
The RJD seized on Singh’s initial statement to question Nitish Kumar’s political associations.
RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav alleged that Singh’s remarks amounted to an admission concerning nine murders and questioned whether his subsequent clarification was made under pressure from the JD(U) leadership.
Yadav also alleged that Kumar had strengthened his political position by associating with people with criminal backgrounds in different parts of Bihar.
The allegations made by the RJD and Singh’s initial statement have intensified the political confrontation. However, Singh subsequently denied that he had ordered the killings.
Controversy Ahead of Bihar Legislative Council Polls
The row comes ahead of the biennial elections to eight seats in the Bihar Legislative Council, scheduled for October 23, with counting set for October 27, according to the Election Commission.
The dispute has also exposed differences within the JD(U), with Singh openly opposing his party’s nominee in the Patna Graduates’ constituency.
