Anand Mohan set to join Nitish’s JD-U next month
The former MP, serving life sentence for the sensational murder of a district magistrate in Bihar in 1994, walked out of jail in April this year following the remission of his sentence granted by the Nitish Kumar government.
Former lawmaker Anand Mohan, who had been serving life sentence for the sensational murder of a district magistrate in Bihar in 1994 until April this year, when he walked out of jail following the remission of his sentence granted by the Nitish Kumar government, is set to join the chief minister’s Janata Dal (United) next month, people close to his family said.
The Supreme Court is yet to pass a final order on a plea against the Bihar government’s remission order filed by Uma Devi, widow of the slain IAS officer G. Krishnaiah, who was Gopalganj district magistrate when he was killed by a mob in Muzaffarpur.
Along with Anand Mohan, his wife Lovely Anand, also a former MP, and their younger son Anshuman Raj may also join the JD-U, they said.
His other son, Chetan Anand, is an MLA (member of legislative assembly) from the RJD, the lead constituent of the ruling alliance in Bihar.
On October 6, Anand Mohan had called on the chief minister to invite him to his native village Panchgachia in Saharsa district on October 27 to unveil the statue of his father, late Ram Bhadur Singh, a freedom fighter.
Though no confirmation was immediately available from the chief minister’s office, Kumar is likely to undertake the visit during which he would also address a gathering there and visit Mohan’s ancestral house, as per details of the programme shared with media persons by Mohd Asif Ali, national general secretary of Friends of Anand, a group promoted by Mohan himself.
While Anand Mohan or his family members were not available for comment, his aides said a final decision was likely next month. “Any decision on extending support or joining any party will be taken in November during a meeting of his well-wishers and supporters to be organised in Patna. The dates of that meeting is not yet final,” said a close aide.
Recently, Anand Mohan’s MLA son Chetan Anand had vented his anger at his own party MP Manoj Jha, who had read out in the Rajya Sabha an old poem that uses the word “Thakur” as a metaphor for an oppresser class. Jha was speaking in the House during the debate on the women’s reservation bill.
The word “Thakur” is sometimes used interchangeably with Rajputs, a community Anand Mohan comes from.
The former MP too had reacted angrily to Jha’s speech, even making threats of physical harm. And against this backdrop, Mohan was denied a meeting with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, people familiar with the matter said.
The proximity between CM Nitish Kumar and Anand Mohan, a former Lok Sabha member from Sheohar, is decades old. In 1995, Mohan had merged his Bihar People’s Party with Kumar’s Samata Party.
Nitish Kumar’s apparent generosity with Mohan — the CM had attended the former MP’s family function in Patna in the days before the remission of his sentence was granted — is view by some as an attempt to consolidate his support base.
“When he shared power with BJP, Nitish benefitted from the Hindutva glue. The umbrella of religious identity sought to trump caste politics. With the saffron shade gone, Nitish is facing political heat. Rajputs constitute 3.45% of Bihar’s population and Kumar is trying to bridge whatever gap that has been created after leaving BJP-led alliance,” said Gyanendra Yadav, associate professor of sociology, College of Commerce, Patna.
Anand Mohan is said to enjoy considerable support among Rajputs.