JDU Leader Lalan Singh Alleges Conspiracy Behind Anant Singh's Arrest in Bihar Election Drama

Lalan Singh has claimed a conspiracy exists against JDU's Mokama candidate Anant Singh following his arrest.

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) has alleged a conspiracy behind the arrest of JDU's Mokama candidate Anant Singh, who was detained in connection with a murder case two days ago. Lalan Singh confidently stated that Anant Singh will secure victory by a substantial margin in the upcoming election.

Lalan Singh, a prominent Bhumihar leader and second-in-command in Nitish Kumar's party, visited Mokama today to support the campaign for the November 6 election. Mokama falls within the Munger constituency that he represents in the Lok Sabha.

His visit comes amid political controversy surrounding five-time MLA and local strongman Anant Singh's arrest related to the murder of Dular Singh Yadav, a gangster-turned-politician. Yadav had been campaigning for Jan Suraaj candidate Piyush Priyadarshi, though Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor has denied any association between Yadav and the party.

In an interview with NDTV's Padmaja Joshi, Lalan Singh mentioned that numerous videos of the incident have been circulated on social media. "The incident appears orchestrated as part of a conspiracy. How did a railway track slab find its way there? Investigation is ongoing. An FIR is merely a First Information Report. Police will thoroughly investigate this matter," he explained.

Anant Singh is competing against RJD's Veena Devi, wife of rival strongman Suraj Bhan. When questioned if Anant Singh's arrest would advantage Suraj Bhan, Lalan Singh responded, "Travel through Mokama and observe for yourself. I guarantee in writing that Anant Singh will win this election with an even larger margin than his previous victories."

With 28 criminal cases against him, Anant Singh has secured the Mokama Assembly seat five times. He began his Assembly career in 2005 and maintained the seat for JDU in the 2010 election. In 2015, he departed from JDU after Nitish Kumar allied with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD, subsequently winning as an Independent candidate against the JDU nominee. Before the 2020 election, Singh joined RJD and won again. In 2022, following his conviction in an arms case, he lost his Assembly membership. His wife, Neelam Devi, contested the by-election and retained Mokama. Singh has now returned to JDU.

When NDTV questioned whether supporting a tainted candidate constituted a double standard, Lalan Singh replied, "That might be your perception. How can you determine who is tainted? Candidates can be arrested. I could be arrested too. Does that make me a criminal? Police will investigate. Many individuals are later proven innocent."

According to reports, Dular Singh Yadav sustained a bullet wound during a confrontation between his supporters and Anant Singh's associates. A doctor involved in the post-mortem examination stated that the bullet struck Yadav's left leg and exited. The doctor also indicated that the gunshot was not the cause of death. The post-mortem report revealed that Yadav died from cardiorespiratory failure resulting from shock caused by heart and lung injuries from a hard, blunt object. Anant Singh, Manikant Thakur, and Ranjeet Ram have been arrested in connection with the case.

Lalan Singh suggested that the bullet that hit Dular Singh Yadav could not have been fired from a distance. "A bullet can strike the heel only if fired from close range," he stated. When asked if he was suggesting Yadav's own supporters shot him, the JDU leader responded, "That is for the investigation to determine."

Earlier, while addressing Anant Singh's supporters, Lalan Singh announced he had taken responsibility for his election campaign. "The conspiracy will be exposed through police investigation. No one should feel demoralized," he assured them. Mokama will vote in the first phase of polling on November 6, with election results scheduled for announcement on November 14.