Union minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises Giriraj Singh's silence over the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar and the JNU crackdown has surprised many, including residents of his own constituency.

Giriraj, the BJP Nawada MP who is very active on social media, is not known to mince words; during the Assembly elections last year, he had asked those opposed to Narendra Modi to go to Pakistan.

"Be it on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya or population control, Giriraj is always ready with some comment or the other," said Rakesh Ranjan, a resident of Oraina village in Nawada district, around 100km southeast of Patna. "After all, Kanhaiya is from the same district (Begusrai) from where the Union minister hails. However, Giriraj has neither supported the Delhi police's stand nor criticised it."

Rajiv Kumar (21), an undergraduate student at a Nawada college, felt Kanhaiya's caste (Bhumihar) presented a dilemma for the minister. "After all, he is a member of the Narendra Modi-led cabinet," Rajiv said. "How can he defend Kanhaiya who has been booked on sedition charge? However, if he defends Kanhaiya, he runs the risk of infuriating his voters."

Like most of Bihar, Kanhaiya's arrest has become a talking point in Nawada town, considered very politically sensitive. "Had the issue of suspended RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Prasad, who has been accused of raping a minor girl of neighbouring Nalanda, not gripped the town, Kanhaiya's arrest would have dominated the political scene," said Mahesh Singh (41), a resident of Odhanpur.

The residents of upper-caste-dominated villages like Maganpur, Masi and Bhadokhar had openly supported Giriraj in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to defeat Raj Ballabh, who contested on an RJD ticket.

Sher Singh (32) of Kumbhi village said Giriraj should raise his voice against police atrocities on Kanhaiya. " Wo Bihar ka beta hai (he is a son of the soil). Being a leader from the state and a minister at the Centre, he (Giriraj) should help him (Kanhaiya) come out clean," asserted Sher Singh.

"The sooner Giriraj breaks his silence, the better it is for him," said Nagendra Singh, who runs a grocery shop on the Biharsharif-Nawada road near Pakaria village, about 14km from Nawada town.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad have openly lent their support to Kanhaiya's family members, who live in Begusarai district.