‘Got 9 People Killed for Nitish Kumar’: Anant Singh Takes U-Turn on His Statement, Blames Lalu Yadav for Deaths

Janata Dal (United) MLA Anant Kumar Singh has triggered a political controversy in Bihar after claiming he arranged the murders of nine people to help Nitish Kumar, before retracting the allegation and blaming Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Singh made the initial claim while attacking his political rival Neeraj Kumar after the JDU nominated the latter for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections. The MLA expressed displeasure over the party’s decision, citing his past differences with the nominee.

“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.

He also questioned the party’s decision to field Neeraj Kumar despite their political rivalry.

RJD Targets Nitish Kumar

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), led by Lalu Prasad Yadav, seized on Singh’s remarks to attack Nitish Kumar, alleging that the statement amounted to an admission of political violence.

RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav claimed Singh had effectively confessed to nine murders allegedly committed for Nitish Kumar’s benefit. He also accused the former Bihar chief minister of building his political influence by associating with criminal gangs across the state.

Yadav named areas including Motihari, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali and Mokama while alleging that notorious gang members had supported Nitish Kumar.

The allegations have added to the political tension surrounding the Legislative Council elections. Singh’s initial statement, however, was not independently verified.

JDU Distances Itself From Singh’s Remarks

The JDU moved quickly to distance itself from the controversy. Party national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad dismissed the remarks, saying they did not deserve serious consideration.

Without naming Singh, Prasad defended Nitish Kumar’s record, asserting that the former chief minister had maintained an unblemished record and had no association with criminal activity or political violence.

He said the party would give no credence to such statements and suggested that the public was unlikely to take them seriously.

Anant Singh Blames Lalu Yadav in U-Turn

Singh later changed his position, saying his earlier remarks referred to the deaths of his associates during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as chief minister.

“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 added that his family had suffered significant losses, including the death of his father following a heart attack.

The revised statement shifted the focus of Singh’s allegations from Nitish Kumar to Lalu Yadav. The claims of murder and political involvement remain allegations and have not been established by the statements alone.

Bihar Legislative Council Polls on October 23

The political row comes ahead of the biennial elections to eight seats in the Bihar Legislative Council.

According to the Election Commission, polling is scheduled for October 23, while the counting of votes will take place on October 27.

Singh’s public disagreement with the party’s choice of candidate has now widened into a political confrontation involving the JDU, the RJD and their respective leaders.