Anant Singh clarifies 'nine murders' remark: 'I meant my associates were killed'
Synopsis
Mokama MLA Anant Singh's 'nine murders' remark sparked a political storm in Bihar — but Singh says it was a story of sacrifice, not a confession. He claims nine of his own associates were killed after he switched political camps to back Nitish Kumar, a move his mentor Lalu Prasad had warned him against. The row has exposed simmering tensions inside the JD(U) ahead of the Bihar Legislative Council elections.
Key Takeaways
Anant Singh , Mokama MLA, clarified on 16 October that his 'nine murders' remark referred to associates killed after he aligned with Nitish Kumar — not to killings he arranged.
Singh said he was responding to JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar's claims about his own contributions to the party.
He alleged he was shot at and that nine associates were killed in the period following his switch from Lalu Prasad's camp.
Singh recounted that Lalu Prasad had advised him against attending the meeting with Nitish Kumar, but he went ahead regardless.
The controversy surfaced amid tensions within the JD(U) over the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections .
Mokama MLA Anant Singh on Friday, 16 October clarified his controversial remark about 'nine murders', insisting his words had been misinterpreted and that he was referring to the deaths of nine of his associates — not claiming personal responsibility for arranging any killings. The clarification was issued at a press address in Patna amid rising tensions within the Janata Dal (United) over the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections.
What Singh Actually Said
Singh had originally made the remark while recounting his long-standing political association with former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and contrasting it with the contributions of JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar. According to Singh, he had cited the deaths to illustrate the personal sacrifices he bore after aligning himself with Nitish Kumar — and not, as some media reports suggested, to claim he had arranged those killings. 'My words were taken out of context,' Singh maintained.
The Political Timeline Singh Outlined
Addressing reporters, Singh traced the history of his association with Nitish Kumar back to the period when Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav were political allies. Singh said Nitish Kumar had intervened on his behalf to secure an Assembly election ticket for his brother by speaking to Lalu Prasad. Singh added that he continued to back Nitish Kumar even after the two leaders eventually parted ways politically.
He further claimed that Nitish Kumar, accompanied by Lalan Singh, subsequently approached him again, after which he departed from Lalu Prasad's camp to align with Nitish Kumar.
Losses Claimed After Switching Camps
Singh said the consequences of that political switch were severe. He claimed that he was shot at and that nine of his associates were killed in the period following his alignment with Nitish Kumar. He also recalled that his father died after suffering a heart attack during that turbulent phase. Singh noted that the killings occurred just days after a meeting with Nitish Kumar — a meeting he said he attended against the advice of Lalu Prasad, at which he had Nitish Kumar weighed against silver coins as a gesture of loyalty.
Intra-Party Context: JD(U) Council Election Tensions
The controversy did not emerge in a vacuum. The remark and its fallout are set against the backdrop of internal differences within the JD(U) over the Bihar Legislative Council elections. Singh had invoked these personal sacrifices specifically while responding to claims made by Neeraj Kumar about his own contributions to the party — a sign that factional positioning within the alliance is intensifying ahead of the polls.
Notably, this is not the first time Anant Singh has found himself at the centre of political controversy in Bihar; the Mokama MLA has long been a polarising figure in the state's political landscape. As the Legislative Council election draws closer, the internal dynamics of the JD(U) and its allies are likely to face further scrutiny.
Point of View
But the political damage — and the underlying story — is more significant than the semantics. The episode has cracked open the fault lines inside the JD(U) ahead of the Legislative Council elections, revealing that the alliance's internal hierarchy is contested and that older loyalties are being weaponised for present-day bargaining. Singh's decision to invoke a graphic personal history — shootings, deaths, a father's heart attack — is a calibrated move to assert moral seniority over newer party figures like Neeraj Kumar. Bihar's politics has long run on such narratives of sacrifice and betrayal, but the public airing of these grievances signals that the JD(U) tent is under real stress, not just performative squabbling.
NationPress
16 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Anant Singh say about 'nine murders'?
Anant Singh clarified that he was referring to the killings of nine of his associates after he politically aligned himself with Nitish Kumar — not claiming that he had arranged or ordered any murders. He said his original remarks had been misinterpreted by media reports.
Why did Anant Singh make these remarks in the first place?
Singh made the remarks while recounting his long history of support for Nitish Kumar and contrasting it with the contributions of JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar. He intended them as an account of personal sacrifice, invoking the deaths of associates and the loss of his father.
What is the political context behind the controversy?
The row emerged amid internal tensions within the Janata Dal (United) over the Bihar Legislative Council elections. Factional positioning ahead of the polls appears to have intensified, prompting Singh to publicly assert his sacrifices on behalf of Nitish Kumar.
What did Singh say about his relationship with Lalu Prasad Yadav?
Singh said that during the period when Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad were allies, Nitish Kumar helped secure an Assembly election ticket for his brother. He later left Lalu Prasad's camp at Nitish Kumar's request, despite Lalu Prasad advising him against meeting Nitish Kumar at the time.
