Shahabuddin compares Nitish with former Jharkhand CM Koda

Law Kumar Mishra

Patna: The statements of RJD vice-president and former Siwan MP Md Shahabuddin since his release from Bhagalpur jail on bail September 10 are making the NDA leaders happy. The While BJP has decided to organise protest dharnas at district headquarters on September 14 (after Eid festivities), a delegation of the party leaders has sought an appointment with the Governor too.
Leader of opposition Prem Kumar, in a statement here, said there was a provision of caretaker CM in the Constitution but Shahabuddin is claiming Nitish Kumar was a circumstantial CM. Shahabuddin finds Nitish unfit to lead the government and declared in the next assembly elections the RJD would come to power on its own. CM Nitish Kumar must be feeling shaky now, he said.
Senior BJP leader and former minister Nand Kishore Yadav said  Shahabuddin’s release has confirmed the apprehensions in political  circles that Nitish was under pressure from RJD president Lalu Prasad. He has become panicky to the extent he is unable to react to the statements of Shahabuddin against him. Yadav said on the very first day of his release, Shahabuddin showed his strength and disrespect for the law of the land as supporters of the RJD leaders in hundreds of four wheelers did not pay toll taxes on the toll plaza on the Highways. Toll plaza management was  instructed by police to allow easy and uninterrupted movement of Shahabuddin supporters’ vehicles.

Shahabuddin on Sunday gave series of interviews to the news channels declaring Nitish was unfit to become the chief minister.He compared Nitish with the former CM of Jharkhand Madhu Koda who was jailed on corruption charges. Koda, according to Shahabuddin, became CM with two MLAs. Like Koda, Nitish too became CM due to the  circumstances which prevailed then.
Vice-president of RJD and former union minister Raghuwansh Prasad Singh too supported Shahabuddin and said he (Raghuwansh) too had opposed nomination of Nitish as the CM. Lalu Prasad is the national and a natural leader, he said.

Shahbuddin on Sunday equated himself with Lalu by saying he was neither  above nor under Lalu. He said the children of Lalu will only get his blessings.

Meanwhile, noted lawyer P rashant Bhushan on Sunday said he would take up the case of the parents of three brothers of Siwan who were allegedly killed by Shahabuddin’s  supporters. The parents of the victims approached him on September 11 and requested him to file an appeal in Supreme Court against Patna High Court order of Thursday releasing Shahabuddin, a life convict on bail.