Patna, June 9: Rival political leaders in Bihar are vying with each other to eulogise slain Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Mukhiya.

Animal husbandry minister Giriraj Singh, who recently hailed Mukhiya as a “Gandhian”, has been slapped with a case in Bhagalpur court. The complainant, Mukesh Kumar, has questioned how the minister can compare a man named in over 200 murders with the Father of the Nation.

Giriraj, however, remains undeterred. “I stand by what I had said and will continue to do so. It was Lalu Prasad who got Mukhiyaji involved in fabricated cases and tried to paint him as a murderer. Mukhiyaji was acquitted in 16 of the 22 cases he was facing,” Girirraj told The Telegraph on Saturday. He reiterated that Mukhiya believed in a “classless society”.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad was in power when a series of massacres — Bathani Tola, Laxmanpur Bathe, Shankarbigha, Narayanpur among others — took place in the later half on the 1990s. Even his party, which had praised Patna police for arresting Mukhiya in 2002, fell short of criticising Giriraj for comparing Mukhiya with Gandhi.

“I will not say if Mukhiya was a Gandhian or not. But he has been killed because of them (NDA leaders),” Lalu said adding that Giriraj and other leaders were making statements in favour of Mukhiya to keep the “Brahmarshi Samaj (Bhumihar caste) in good humour”.

Lalu was among the first political leaders to demand a CBI probe into the murder of the former Ranvir Sena chief. Leaders cutting across party lines — C.P. Thakur (BJP), Lallan Singh (rebel JD(U) MP) and Akhilesh Singh (Congress leader) — made a beeline to pay tributes during Mukhiya’s cremation, despite facing the risk of being roughed up by an angry mob.

Even as elaborate arrangements are being made for the shradh (memorial service) of the slain Mukhiya, top leaders hailing from the Brahmarshi Samaj are expected to attend the ceremony in Ara.

JD(U) MP from Jehanabad Jagdish Sharma is virtually camping there. “It cannot be avoided. Irrespective of the question if Brahameshwar Mukhiya was a saint or a devil, we have to show our faces there for the samaj (society),” said a JD(U) MLA.

Mukhiya is not the first controversial figure to be glorified. Even Siwan don and former MP Mohammed Shahabuddin was strongly defended by none other than the BJP in the Assembly in the 1990s because it believed that “Shabu Bhai” would part ways with Lalu Prasad. Criminal-turned-politicians like Anand Mohan, Pappu Yadav and Surajbhan Singh have been hailed as “yuvaon ka samrat (ruler of the youths)” by mainstream politicians. “What is big fuss about Brahmeshwar Mukhiya being called a Gandhian?” asked a seasoned politician.