Shahabuddin to be booked under Crime Control Act?

Patna: RJD strongman Md. Shahabuddin may have to face the barracks again after being released from jail last week. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is now mulling action against the don by booking him under the Crime Control Act.   The Siwan don had declared that circumstances had made Nitish chief minister and that Lalu Prasad was his real leader. The don's comment created a flutter in political circles and the RJD rushed to issue a press note from party national vice-president Illiyas Hussain stating that Nitish was not a CM of circumstance. Shahabuddin had also said that Nitish can't win even 20 seats on his own. Shahabuddin is a member of the RJD's national executive committee. The comments haven’t gone too well with the Chief Minister and the JD-U party ranks. The state government is also receiving a lot of criticism from various quarters for being unable to stop the gangster’s release. On this regard, Nitish held a meeting with his ministers on Monday and also sought legal consultations from lawyers. On questions being raised by the BJP over Shahabuddin's bail, Nitish had said: "You should ask this question to the judiciary, not me." "The whole world knows that the people of Bihar have given me the mandate. Should I work on the basis of the mandate given by the people or should I react to anyone's statement?" Nitish told reporters on the sidelines of an event. "I don't give importance to such talks. It doesn't have any meaning at all. I will ask you people as well not to give space and time to such issues." The JDU on Sunday reminded the Siwan don that the law would take its course. "The track record of Shahabuddin is not that of a saint," said Neeraj Kumar, the JDU spokesperson and an MLC. "Everyone knows what he is. After spending 11 years in jail, he is giving sermons now. Our government will not tolerate people with criminal antecedents." Asked why the government did not challenge Shahabuddin's bail, Neeraj said: "Everything will happen in an appropriate time."? The RJD leaders are, however, backing their party man. "I don't think Shahabuddin said anything wrong," said RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. "Nitish was made chief minister under circumstances. It's a fact. Leaders are given posts under circumstances. People like H.D. Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral and Manmohan Singh were made prime ministers under circumstances. Nitish was made CM in a similar way. Since the beginning, I was opposing Nitish as Bihar chief minister but the Grand Alliance leaders chose him. I had to obey their decision, but I will keep saying what I feel." On Sunday, activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan tweeted: "Shameful that HC granted bail to notorious Gangster/politico(RJD) Shahabuddin.Hv agreed to seek cancellation of Bail in SC on victims behalf." - Additional information from The Telegraph, Calcutta