PATNA: Sly efforts by Bihar’s notorious don-turned-politician and three-term MLA Anant Singh to rejoin the ruling JD(U) have been foiled despite a senior minister’s bid to facilitate it. The 56-year-old Independent MLA from Mokama, whose muscle-flexing ways earned him the epithet of ‘Chhote Sarkar’ in the area, is as keen to return to JD(U) as a section of the party is to welcome him back. But Singh’s criminal record — he faces 16 cases — has stopped the party leadership from accepting him back into the party.
Singh, who was elected to the Assembly from Mokama on a JD(U) ticket in 2005 and 2010, quit the party in September 2015 after he was arrested and jailed in a kidnapping and murder case. He contested the 2015 Assembly polls from jail as an Independent and won, defeating JD(U) candidate and party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar by over 18,000 votes.
Having been close to Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar since 2004, Singh had blamed his arrest and imprisonment on the party’s growing closeness to the RJD.
With Singh belonging to the influential Bhumihar caste, a group Nitish wants to keep in good humour, a section of JD(U) recently tried to bring the ‘bahubali’ MLA back into the party. Water resources minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, also a Bhumihar, invited him to an official programme and also indicated that he was likely to return to the party.
“When had he gone out of the party that there is talk about his coming back?” quipped Lalan when reporters asked if Anant was returning to JD(U). Singh also openly said he was willing to rejoin JD(U). “I have no enmity with Nitish Kumar. Whenever he wants me, I will be with him. But if he sides with Lalu, I will not be with him,” he said.
With Lalan Singh readying to contest the next Lok Sabha polls from Munger, where Anant has considerable influence, he is keen to get Anant back into the party. Sources said the plan for his re-entry had Nitish’s tacit backing.
But a backlash followed with Neeraj Kumar leading the protests against this. “There is absolutely no chance of people with criminal records being welcomed in JD(U). The party’s USP has been taking strong action against people such as Anant Singh, Rajballabh Yadav, Mohammad Shahabuddin and Ashok Mahto for their criminal deeds,” he said.
JD(U) leaders said since Nitish had already woven a powerful combination of Extremely Backward Castes and Mahadalit groups, the support of upper castes would help him beat RJD’s strong Muslim-Yadav and OBC combination. “The bid to get Anant back was a part of that strategy, but the party dropped the idea after considering the odds,” said a JD(U) leader.
Strongman’s past
■ Anant Singh faces 16 criminal cases, including kidnapping and murder
■ He was elected to the Assembly from Mokama on a JD(U) ticket in 2005 & 2010
■ He contested 2015 polls from jail as an Independent; beat Neeraj Kumar of JD(U)
■ Close to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Singh blamed his arrest on JD(U)’s growing closeness to RJD