Mohammad Shahabuddin was released on Saturday after eleven years in Prison.
Patna:
Mohammad Shahabuddin, a former lawmaker from Lalu Yadav's RJD, made headlines with his release from jail on Sunday, mostly because of his attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as he walked out of prison after getting bail in a murder case.
He called Nitish Kumar a "chief minister of circumstances", while pledging his continued allegiance to Mr Kumar's political partner Lalu Yadav. He then drove to his village in Bihar's Siwan in a 300-car convoy that zipped past a toll booth without paying the 30-rupee charge. Several vehicles had red beacons, which meant VIP, a toll booth manager explained.
Nitish Kumar indicated yesterday that he is not losing any sleep over Mr Shahabuddin's comments, saying He doesn't care for such comments. But the RJD man's attack is expected to continue.
Here's why:
1) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in his years as a BJP ally and Lalu rival, was credited with ending Shahabuddin's reign of terror in Siwan. A dreaded strongman, Mr Shahabuddin had also built a powerful political career which was cut short.
2) The four-term former RJD lawmaker, who has almost 40 criminal cases against him, had first surrendered in August 2003 and got bail the same month. But he was doggedly pursued by the Bihar Police, which arrested him again in October 2005, and this time it took him 11 years to get out of jail.
3) The state government opposed bail for Mr Shahabuddin at every juncture and in every case.
4) A special court was set up inside the Siwan Jail where Mr Shahabuddin was lodged to solely focus on trying him in the many cases against him.
5) The state government put up strong cases against Mr Shahabuddin - charged with crimes like murder, extortion and kidnapping among others - and he was convicted in seven, getting life imprisonment in two cases and 10 years each in two others. He was even convicted in a car-theft case.
6) He was deprived of the many perks that other politically powerful prison inmates manage. His prison cells in both Siwan and Bhagalpur where he was later shifted, were often raided and mobile phones that seemed to find a way to him were always seized.
7) Officials who relaxed prison rules to allow visitors to meet him in jail were suspended. Even when the visitors included Nitish Kumar's cabinet ministers.
8) The 11 years in jail dealt a body blow to Shahabuddin's political plans. The myth of his political invincibility in Siwan was shattered and his wife lost two successive parliamentary elections from the district he once ruled.
9) There has also been humiliation. Mr Shahabuddin has had to give an application in court that says he doesn't have money to fight his own cases, opening him to ridicule among those who he once held in thrall.
10) Mr Shahabuddin, who denies all charges against him, is positioning himself to be able to claim that he is paying the price of politically taking on the chief minister, despite the fact that his party the RJD is now a partner in the Nitish Kumar government.
He called Nitish Kumar a "chief minister of circumstances", while pledging his continued allegiance to Mr Kumar's political partner Lalu Yadav. He then drove to his village in Bihar's Siwan in a 300-car convoy that zipped past a toll booth without paying the 30-rupee charge. Several vehicles had red beacons, which meant VIP, a toll booth manager explained.
Nitish Kumar indicated yesterday that he is not losing any sleep over Mr Shahabuddin's comments, saying He doesn't care for such comments. But the RJD man's attack is expected to continue.
Here's why:
1) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in his years as a BJP ally and Lalu rival, was credited with ending Shahabuddin's reign of terror in Siwan. A dreaded strongman, Mr Shahabuddin had also built a powerful political career which was cut short.
2) The four-term former RJD lawmaker, who has almost 40 criminal cases against him, had first surrendered in August 2003 and got bail the same month. But he was doggedly pursued by the Bihar Police, which arrested him again in October 2005, and this time it took him 11 years to get out of jail.
3) The state government opposed bail for Mr Shahabuddin at every juncture and in every case.
4) A special court was set up inside the Siwan Jail where Mr Shahabuddin was lodged to solely focus on trying him in the many cases against him.
5) The state government put up strong cases against Mr Shahabuddin - charged with crimes like murder, extortion and kidnapping among others - and he was convicted in seven, getting life imprisonment in two cases and 10 years each in two others. He was even convicted in a car-theft case.
6) He was deprived of the many perks that other politically powerful prison inmates manage. His prison cells in both Siwan and Bhagalpur where he was later shifted, were often raided and mobile phones that seemed to find a way to him were always seized.
7) Officials who relaxed prison rules to allow visitors to meet him in jail were suspended. Even when the visitors included Nitish Kumar's cabinet ministers.
8) The 11 years in jail dealt a body blow to Shahabuddin's political plans. The myth of his political invincibility in Siwan was shattered and his wife lost two successive parliamentary elections from the district he once ruled.
9) There has also been humiliation. Mr Shahabuddin has had to give an application in court that says he doesn't have money to fight his own cases, opening him to ridicule among those who he once held in thrall.
10) Mr Shahabuddin, who denies all charges against him, is positioning himself to be able to claim that he is paying the price of politically taking on the chief minister, despite the fact that his party the RJD is now a partner in the Nitish Kumar government.
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