Patna: Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary has drawn a distinction between jailed JD(U) candidate Anant Singh and late former MP Mohammed Shahabuddin, whose son has been fielded by the RJD in the Bihar assembly elections, calling the deceased leader a “national criminal” linked to international syndicate.
Shahabuddin, a bahubali and a contentious figure in Bihar politics, died at a Delhi hospital in 2021 due to Covid-related complications. In the first assembly elections in Bihar since his death, the RJD has fielded his son Osama Shahab from the Raghunathpur constituency in Siwan district.
“There is a difference between Anant Singh and him (Shahabuddin). I am not trying to protect anyone. But I want to make it clear—Shahabuddin was a national criminal. And he was connected to an international group. And the heinous crimes he has committed, by murdering Chandrasekhar (a student leader and CPI (ML) office-bearer)…the whole world knows. He is convicted. Anant Singh is not convicted. The one who is convicted is the criminal,” Choudhary told ThePrint.
He further said while anyone could be sent to jail on the suspicion of committing a crime, only those convicted are criminals. “Anyone can go to jail. Lalu ji also went, Nitish ji also went. I also went to jail. It is not a crime to go to jail. The crime is, who is convicted. Lalu ji is convicted. That is why it is said, he is a convicted criminal. Lalu ji was accused of theft. He is a thief. This is proof. In the lower court, high court, Supreme Court,” he further said.
Anant Singh and Shahabuddin have a history of alleged criminal activities and a strong caste-based support base. Though never in a direct rivalry, they are often seen as parallel figures representing different political and social dynamics in the state’s political landscape.
Anant Singh was arrested by the Bihar Police on 1 October over charges of murder of local strongman Dular Chand Yadav who was canvassing for Jan Suraaj candidate Piyush Priyadarshi. His arrest came just five days before the first phase of polling.
Singh, who comes from the Bhumihar community, has been a member of the ruling JD(U). He faces more than 50 cases, but has contested and won multiple elections.
On the other hand, Shahabuddin had more than 45 cases against him—from kidnapping to murder and extortion. He was convicted and sentenced for life in the case of murder of two Siwan residents for refusing to pay extortion.
His name was also linked with the 1997 murder of CPI(ML) activist and former JNU Students’ Union president Chandrashekhar in Siwan. At the time, the Left party had accused Shahabuddin of being involved in the murder, but the strongman was not named in the chargesheet. Four men were convicted in the case in 2012.
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‘Nitish will continue to be CM’
Asserting that the NDA will return to power in Bihar, Choudhary said they have promised to provide 1 crore jobs and this will be done, “unlike the tall promises of the Mahagathbandhan”.
The RJD and its allies, including the Congress and the CPI (ML), have made employment a central theme of their campaign, while also targeting the NDA for “not doing enough” for the youth of Bihar.
In their manifesto, the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan has promised to pass a law within 20 days of forming a government to provide a government job to one member of every family in the state.
With the opposition claiming that the BJP will not make Nitish Kumar the chief minister again, Choudhary said there is no vacancy for the chief minister’s post in the state.
“Look, there is no vacancy, so the question of filling the vacancy does not arise. The form has to be filled only when there is a vacancy. Nitish ji is there, Nitish ji will be there, and will continue to be there,” he added.
Choudhary said Mahagathbandhan has made promises because it knows it will not have to fulfil them as the NDA will come to power. He said the NDA, unlike the Mahagathbandhan, believes in implementing its promises.
Chaodhary said that from 1990 to 2005, 94,000 people got government jobs in Bihar. From 2005 to 2025, 18.5 lakh people got government jobs under the Nitish Kumar government.
“Last time, our commitment was providing 10 lakh government jobs… 10 lakh employment opportunities. We have already given 52 lakh jobs. This time, our commitment is 1 crore. And I want to assure the people that when we had set a target of 20 lakh, we gave 52 lakh. If we have set the target of 1 crore, we will cross 1 crore for sure,” he said.
The BJP leader further said that while a lot of development has taken place under Nitish Kumar, the huge gap that was created during the tenure of Lalu Prasad Yadav will take some time to fill.
“Apart from Shri babu, no one in the past worked for Bihar. Karpoori ji started, but his tenure was very short. From Shri babu to the Lalu Prasad administration, development in Bihar came to a halt. Lalu ji took Bihar backwards. Today, it is moving forward,” he added.
Asked about the issue of migration, he said the scale has come down considerably as people now don’t migrate for basic amenities.
“People don’t have to come to the city out of fear. People are at home. There is electricity, water and roads. And they don’t have to go to Bombay, Delhi, or Patna for basic amenities. They have to go if they want a good job etc but not for basic amenities,” he said.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)