PATNA — A sharp political storm erupted across Bihar’s political landscape ahead of the Legislative Council elections after Janata Dal (United) lawmaker Anant Kumar Singh made inflammatory statements regarding historical political violence, drawing a swift party disavowal and an immediate opposition attack before the legislator issued a complete retraction.
Friction within the ruling party surfaced after the leadership nominated Singh’s regional rival Neeraj Kumar for the upcoming Legislative Council polls, prompting the Mokama MLA to make controversial public comments before issuing a formal clarification hours later.
Key Takeaways
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Explosive Initial Remarks: JDU MLA Anant Singh triggered public outrage after claiming to have orchestrated violent acts to consolidate political backing during the early years of state leadership.
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JDU Formally Disowns Claims: Party National Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad rejected the lawmaker’s remarks, citing the Chief Minister’s long-standing public record and stating the claims deserved no institutional weight.
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Opposition RJD Escalates Attack: The Rashtriya Janata Dal seized upon the statement, calling it an admission of systemic political crime and demanding executive accountability.
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Linguistic U-Turn Offered: Singh issued a full retraction shortly after, clarifying that his comments referred to nine of his own close associates who were murdered by political adversaries during the previous RJD administration due to his political alignment.
Retraction and Alternate Framing
Facing swift disavowal from top party leadership and severe political pushback, Anant Singh issued a revised public statement framing the historical casualties as personal sacrifices suffered at the hands of rival political networks:
“I was trying to say that 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… But I was misunderstood.”
The legislator maintained that his family endured immense personal hardship and loss during that period, including the demise of his father, directly stemming from regional political rivalries.
Electoral Context in Bihar
The heated rhetoric comes at a critical juncture in regional politics as political parties consolidate cadre support across competitive legislative tracks.
According to the Election Commission of India, biennial voting for eight seats of the Bihar Legislative Council is scheduled for October 23, with official vote counting set for October 27.
