Patna: A major political controversy has erupted in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Legislative Council elections after Janata Dal (United) MLA Anant Kumar Singh claimed his controversial “nine murders for Nitish Kumar” remark was “misunderstood”, seeking to clarify that he was referring to nine of his own family members killed under RJD rule due to his proximity to the party chief.

The row broke out after the Mokama legislator, aggrieved over the party's decision to field his political rival Neeraj Kumar in the Council polls, triggered widespread outrage with his initial statement. “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,” he said.

As Opposition parties seized upon the remark, Singh issued a swift clarification, attributing the phrasing to his lack of formal education and expressing frustration over the misinterpretation. “I was trying to say that nine members of my family had been murdered when Lalu ji's party (RJD) was in power. The reason was my proximity to Nitish Kumar. But I was misunderstood,” Singh said, adding that the statement stood fully refuted.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) launched a fierce assault on the ruling party, treating the initial remark as an admission of political crime and alleging a long-standing nexus between the JD(U) leadership and criminal elements.

RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav questioned the former chief minister's legacy, "Anant Singh has effectively confessed to nine murders, murders that occurred while Nitish Kumar was Chief Minister, and, by implication, for the sake of Nitish Kumar. Even if Anant Singh later retracted or altered his statement - likely due to pressure from his party at both the central and state levels – does it not remain a fact that Nitish Kumar built his power in Bihar by aligning himself with notorious criminal gangs from across the state?”

JD(U) leadership moved quickly to downplay the fallout while defending the party president's record. Senior leader Rajeev Ranjan Prasad asserted that Nitish Kumar's 50-year public career was built on an uncompromising stance against the politician-criminal nexus.

“In his 50 years of public life, former Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar has demonstrated a level of resolve, taking tough decisions, that few politicians in this country ever achieve. He has always maintained an uncompromising stance regarding integrity in public life and the nexus between politics and crime; his life is, indisputably, a role model. As for what others might say or the claims they make, the party neither takes note of them nor deems it appropriate to respond... Nitish Kumar has never, throughout his entire life, given any space to negative politics.”

JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha maintained a guarded position, confirming that the party's state unit was aware of the developments. "The party's state unit has taken note of his remarks and the clarification that he has made. As of now, I would like to assert that the NDA would win all eight seats of the legislative council and Neeraj Kumar is poised to retain Patna Graduates seat.”

The controversy comes amidst intense campaigning for the October 23 biennial elections for eight Bihar Legislative Council seats (four Graduates' and four Teachers' constituencies), with votes scheduled to be counted on October 27.

(Agencies)