New Delhi:
Janata Dal United (JDU) MLA Anant Kumar Singh has triggered a major political controversy in Bihar after claiming to have "masterminded the murders of nine people for former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar", with the party distancing itself from his remarks.
Singh, who has been upset with the party for fielding his political rival Neeraj Kumar in the upcoming legislative council polls, made the claim while lashing out at his adversary.
"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.
Patna, Bihar: When asked if he still supports his party, JD(U) MLA Anant Singh says, "...Who has made as many sacrifices as I have? Nitish Kumar was nothing back then; he used to roam around here and there. At that time, while being with Nitish Kumar, I got nine people murdered..."
— IANS (@ians_india) October 16, 2026
Singh also referred to past political rivalries, alleging that Neeraj Kumar had previously opposed him and questioned why the party chose to nominate someone with whom he had differences.
Reacting to this, the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) hit out at the former Chief Minister, alleging that Singh's remark amounted to an admission of political crimes.
"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 - whether from Motihari, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, or the Mokama region? Who were these notorious gang members? They were all with him," party leader Shakti Singh Yadav said.
What JDU said
JDU quickly distanced itself from Singh's remarks, with the party's national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad asserting that it "did not deserve to be taken seriously".
Without naming Singh, the JDU leader said, "Nitish Kumar has stood out for an untainted record, with no blemishes of hobnobbing with criminals and involvement in violence or any type of negativity. The type of statement that we have come across deserves no cognisance from the party and is unlikely to be taken seriously by the public."
Anant Singh's 'u-turn'
Singh later retracted his remarks against Nitish Kumar - this time putting it all on Lalu Yadav.
"I have responded to Neeraj Kumar, detailing the sacrifices I have made. 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," he said.
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: JD(U) MLA Anant Singh says, "... I have responded to Neeraj Kumar, detailing the sacrifices I have made. 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. We have suffered such immense losses. My father also passed away due to a heart attack..."
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2026
Singh added, "We have suffered such immense losses. My father also passed away due to a heart attack."
The political row comes amid an active election season in the state. According to the Election Commission, the biennial elections for eight seats of the Bihar Legislative Council will be held on October 23, and the counting of votes will be done on October 27.
(With inputs from agencies)