Lalan Singh kept distance from Anant Singh-Neeraj Kumar dispute, said – does not get into anyone’s fight
Patna. Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh has made his position clear on the ongoing tension between Janata Dal United (JDU) MLA Anant Singh and Legislative Councilor Neeraj Kumar amid Bihar Legislative Council elections. Lalan Singh has distanced himself from trying to broker a reconciliation between the two leaders and said that he does not get involved in any personal feud between the two leaders. However, he also said that if both the parties are ready then a compromise can be reached.
This statement of Lalan Singh has come at a time when JDU National Working President Sanjay Jha had said that Lalan Singh will talk about the ongoing dispute between Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar. According to Sanjay Jha, the matter is related to Munger Lok Sabha constituency, hence the party has authorized Lalan Singh to talk to both the leaders.
Addressing a meeting organized at Ghosheth in Lakhisarai on Saturday, Lalan Singh, without naming the two leaders, said that he focuses on development work instead of interfering in mutual disputes. He said that even in the village, people come to him with their disputes, but he does not advocate for any one party. His argument was that both the sides were equal for him, hence it would not be appropriate to stand in favor of any one.
Lalan Singh said that he never promoted any fight in his village nor does he generally get involved in disputes among people. He made it clear that his emphasis is on doing development related work in the area. However, he did not completely close the door to talks. He said that if both the leaders are ready then an attempt can be made to reach an agreement between them.
In fact, differences between Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar regarding the election of Patna Graduate Constituency of Bihar Legislative Council have come to the fore. Anant Singh has opposed the candidature of Neeraj Kumar and announced his support for the other candidate Anuj Singh. He is also campaigning in his support. On the other hand, Neeraj Kumar is a senior leader associated with JDU and a current MLC.
The dispute between the two leaders has not been limited to electoral support only. After public statements against each other, this matter became a topic of discussion within the party as well. For this reason, questions began to arise that how will the JDU leadership handle the ongoing tension between the two leaders.
Sanjay Jha had earlier indicated that the party leadership was aware of the matter and it was being looked into at senior levels. He had mentioned the role of Lalan Singh. After this it was believed that Lalan Singh could try to end the dispute by talking to both the leaders. But now Lalan Singh has made it clear that he generally does not get involved in personal disputes with anyone.
Anant Singh coming out openly against Neeraj Kumar is also important because both are associated with JDU. Anant Singh has campaigned in support of Anuj Singh in Patna Graduate constituency. Neeraj Kumar has been a Legislative Councilor from this area for three consecutive terms and has an old political network here.
Patna Graduate constituency consists of Patna, Nalanda and Nawada districts. In this election, the nature of voters is different as compared to normal assembly elections and personal contact and local organization play an important role. In such a situation, the public disagreement between two leaders within the party remains a matter of political discussion.
Meanwhile, Neeraj Kumar has also met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. According to the report, he is going to file nomination for the Legislative Council elections on October 5. On the other hand, with Anant Singh continuing to campaign in favor of Anuj Singh, the distance between the two leaders does not seem to be reducing at the moment.
In such an environment, Lalan Singh’s statement has become important. On one hand, the working national president of the party, Sanjay Jha, talked about authorizing him to talk to both the leaders, while on the other hand, Lalan Singh made it clear publicly that he does not like to get into personal fights with anyone.
However, there is also a possibility of compromise in his statement. He has said that if both the parties are ready for this then talks can be held. This means that the possibility of resolving the dispute has not been completely eliminated, but for this the consent of both Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar will be necessary.
This controversy, which came to light during the Legislative Council elections, has now become important for JDU at the organizational level also. A party leader campaigning against a candidate belonging to his own party is increasing the political discussion. For now, an eye will be kept on what further steps are taken by the party leadership.
Lalan Singh, from his part, has made the message clear that his focus is on development work and he does not want to advocate for any one party. Now the question is, in which direction the ongoing tension between Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar goes during the elections and whether both the leaders are ready for talks. If this happens then Lalan Singh can play the role of mediator, but for now he has distanced himself from getting involved in this dispute.