Patna, Oct 16 — Mokama MLA Anant Singh on Friday clarified his controversial remark about “nine murders” made while describing his long-standing association with former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Singh said that his remarks were ‘misinterpreted’ by the media and that he was referring to the killing of nine of his associates, not claiming that he had arranged their murders.
The clarification came amid tensions within the Janata Dal (United) over the Bihar Legislative Council elections.
Singh had earlier invoked his sacrifices and support for Nitish Kumar while questioning the contributions of JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar.
Addressing the media in Patna, Singh recounted the political events surrounding his association with Nitish Kumar, dating back to the period when Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav were allies.
According to Singh, Nitish Kumar had helped secure an Assembly election ticket for his brother by speaking to Lalu Prasad.
Singh said he continued to support Nitish Kumar even after the two leaders eventually parted ways.
He further claimed that Nitish Kumar, accompanied by Lalan Singh, later approached him again.
Singh said he subsequently left Lalu Prasad’s camp to align himself with Nitish Kumar.
Singh said that after he joined forces with Nitish Kumar, he suffered serious personal losses.
He claimed that he was shot at and nine of his associates were killed during that period.
He also recalled that his father died after suffering a heart attack.
Recounting the sequence of events, Singh said the killings took place just days after a meeting with Nitish Kumar.
He added that, despite Lalu Prasad advising him against attending the meeting, he went ahead and had Nitish Kumar weighed against silver coins.
Singh said he had cited these incidents to explain the sacrifices he had made while supporting Nitish Kumar, particularly in response to Neeraj Kumar’s claims about his own contributions.
Rejecting reports suggesting that he had claimed to have arranged nine murders for Nitish Kumar, Singh said his words had been taken out of context.
He maintained that he was describing the deaths of people associated with him following his political alignment with Nitish Kumar, rather than claiming responsibility for their killings.
The clarification follows the controversy triggered by his earlier remarks, which drew attention amid the ongoing political differences within the JD(U) over the Legislative Council election.