JDU sources indicated the government was set to challenge in the Supreme Court the bail to Mohammad Shahabuddin, but RJD ministers had no idea of any such development.
"A report had been sought from the Siwan district administration and police seeking case details of Shahabuddin and what led to his release from jail," a senior JDU functionary told The Telegraph on the condition of anonymity. "The report has come and the advocate general has been asked to prepare the ground on the basis of which the bail petition can be challenged in the apex court."
JDU spokesperson Ajay Alok, who was in New Delhi, neither confirmed nor denied the same but gave enough hints at likely steps the Nitish government would take. "Nitish never protects people with criminal antecedents. The government will act as per rules," he said before cutting the line.
A tweet on a page claiming to be "the official Twitter handle of Janata Dal (United)", reads: "Bihar sarkar kathit apradhi Shahabuddin ke zamanat ke khilaf har sambhav nyayik kadam uthayegi. Bihar me kanoon ka raaj rahega. (Bihar government will take all possible legal steps against the bail granted to alleged criminal Shahabuddin. There would always be rule of law in Bihar.)" However, Shahabuddin is not an "alleged" criminal; he has been convicted in many criminal cases and is serving two life terms.
Deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said: "I don't have any knowledge about any such move by the government (tapping the Supreme Court)."
Tension in the RJD came to the fore when minority welfare minister and RJD leader Abdul Ghafoor was asked if his party was okay with the idea of the government moving Supreme Court to challenge the bail to Shahabuddin.
"Let it be clear Shahabuddin happens to be an RJD leader. Our sympathy and moral support would always be there," Ghafoor said. "As regards party stand, it is for our chief, Lalu Prasad, to take a final call."
RJD state unit president Ramchandra Purbey refused comment. "I am outside Patna and not aware of the developments," he said.
After his return from Delhi on Tuesday, Lalu had evaded a direct question on Shahabuddin's comment that a circumstances had made Nitish chief minister.
He just said that Shahabuddin had called him (Lalu) his leader and there was nothing wrong with it. Today RJD leader and finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui said: "Shahabuddin only said that circumstances made Nitish chief minister."
Siddiqui, however, refused to say anything about Shahabuddin's comment that Nitish wasn't a mass leader and could not win even 20 seats on his own.
Nitish himself had reacted to the comment, saying the people of Bihar had mandated him to become chief minister.
