Lalu Prasad at 10 Circular Road in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, June 5: Lalu Prasad, who is known for his verbosity and bluntness, has been making calculated comments on the murder of the Ranvir Sena chief, Brahmeshwar Singh “Mukhiya” and subsequent violence that has effectively sullied Nitish Kumar’s image of “susashan (good governance)” for the first time in seven years.

“I am not supposed to speak much for I am not running the government,” the RJD chief said, adding, “I am simply surprised and shocked why Nitish has become quiet. After all, he is the chief minister and as such duty-bound to explain why the hoodlums were allowed to hold the state to ransom and terrify the innocent people.”

Talking to The Telegraph, Lalu demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing of the Sena chief. “Our clear-cut hunch is Brahmeshwar was done to death by the people associated with the ruling party. The JD(U) wants to protect its leaders involved in the murder.”

“Who are these Hulas Pandey and Sunil Pandey?” Lalu asked out of the blue. The two names ring a bell as they have numerous cases of crime against them. The brothers were earlier a part of the banned Ranvir Sena, and are at present, JD(U)-supported legislators.

The special investigation team constituted by the state police to probe Mukhiya’s murder is learnt to have been investigating the issue of arms with the Sena cadres and rivalry over their possession. Sources said Mukhiya had been pressuring the cadres to “surrender” the arms to him after his release from jail last year.

Lalu said: “The Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Mahasabha, constituted by Brahmeshwar, has been clamouring for CBI probe. The BJP, too, is supporting the demand. Why is the JD(U) resisting it?”

There is, apparently, larger politics involved in Lalu demanding CBI probe. According to sources close to him, he calculates that the CBI “an independent agency away from the state’s control” will zero in on Sunil and Hulas Pandey, generating more anger among the militant Bhumihars who are already up in arms against the state government over the killing of Mukhiya. And the anger of this “upper caste”, which has been voting for the NDA ever since 1996, will damage the poll chances of the ruling party.

A veteran of many political wars, Lalu does not harbour the hope that the Bhumihars, who fought the RJD regime fiercely, will vote for his party. But if they get disenchanted with the NDA, they might turn to the Congress — their original choice which indirectly would help the “secular” alliance comprising the Congress, LJP, RJD and Left that Lalu is working on with his eyes on the 2014 elections.

Lalu also has his eyes on the extremely backward castes (EBCs) and Mahadalits — originally a part of his Mandal block — that Nitish carved out from the then “messiah of the poor (Lalu)”. The EBCs and Dalits are believed to be palpably terrified with Mukhiya’s supporters going on the rampage and attacking Dalit hostels, settlements and properties.