The party has asked the assembly speaker Prem Kumar to disqualify Singh under the Tenth Schedule for indulging in anti-party activities and defying the party’s line.
Mokama’s strongman and MLA Anant Kumar Singh, also known as “Chhote Sarkar” in the state politics, is now facing a bitter rapture with the Janata Dal (United). A couple of days after the party expelled him and his wife Neelam Devi, also a former MLA, for six years, the six-time legislator is now facing the risk of losing his “lawmaker” status.
The party got prompted to act against Anant Singh after he openly campaigned for the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party’s candidate in the fray for Patna graduates’ constituency of the legislative council polls against the official nominee of JD(U) and sitting MLC Neeraj Kumar. Anant Singh refused to mend his ways despite appeals from senior leaders, including Union minister and Munger MP Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh and messages from the party’s top brass. Anant Singh went to the extent of claiming that the JD(U) had been hijacked after national party president and former chief minister Nitish Kumar pushed to the margin in his own party and refused to back down. Attributing it as his personal prestige, the Mokama MLA remained defiant and campaigned against Neeraj Kumar, saying that he had objected to doling out the party symbol to sitting MLC. The expulsion came when sweets were being prepared at Singh’s residence to celebrate the victory of the Jan Suraaj candidate. The building construction department (BCD) dealt another blow to Neelam Devi by asking her to vacate the official bungalow in a month, which hinted at an abrupt end to the couple’s stay in the sprawling Mall Road residence. A socio-political observer Rama Shankar Arya attributed Singh’s association with Lalu Prasad and the RJD as purely political rather than ideological. Anant, however, alleged that his political rivals, including Lalan Singh, conspired against him and used the police to settle scores.
A day ago, the government removed ministerial status to Neelam Devi, after throwing her out of the 20-Point Programme Implementation Panel. “He got associated with the Congress for a brief period, when Neelam Devi contested the 2019 Munger Lok Sabha seat on the party’s symbol against Lalan Singh, though she lost heavily.
“Neeraj Kumar had conspired against me on several occasions and it’s time to pay him back in the same coin,” Singh had told media persons.
