Patna: Defending Shahabuddin for his swipe at Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday said the Bihar Chief Minister has no issues with the statement made by the criminal-turned-politician.


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Shahabuddin had on Saturday said: "My leader was Lalu Prasad, is Lalu Prasad and will remain Lalu Prasad." He further said "Nitish Kumar changes his stance according to the situation. He is not my leader. Lalu will always be my leader."


Nitish Kumar on Sunday countered the former RJD MP, saying that people of Bihar have given the mandate to him and asked media "not to waste time and space by giving mileage to such people".


Talking to reporters on Monday, the RJD chief said Shahabuddin just said that Lalu is his leader. Nitish Kumar has no issues with it, added Lalu.


 


Shahabuddin was released from prison after 11 long years on Saturday to a tumultuous welcome by hundreds of cheering supporters.


He claimed that he was framed in criminal cases and that politics had nothing to do with the bail the Patna High Court granted him four days ago in a case related to the killing of a murder witness.


Shahabuddin is facing 35 criminal cases including murder, extortion, and kidnapping. He was convicted in seven cases.


 


Before his arrest in 2005, he was a Rashtriya Janata Dal MP - and a law unto himself. He was four times RJD MP from Siwan - from 1996 to 2009.


His rise as a muscleman began when he was elected as an independent legislator. His terror in Siwan lasted for over two decades. But many also saw him as a Robin Hood.


 


He gained popularity after ordering Siwan's doctors and lawyers in the mid-1990s to stop charging exorbitant fees from patients and clients.


He is said to have helped many poor people by providing dowry and cash for their daughters' wedding.