Patna : Giriraj Singh, MP from Nawada constituency in Bihar, once said that those opposing Narendra Modi have no place in India.
Singh belongs to the upper caste Bhumihar caste that has a strong presence in state politics.
A member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Singh has often spoken openly of his support and admiration for Modi.
During the Lok Sabha election campaign, he was in news for his remark against the critics of then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
“Those opposing Modi are looking at Pakistan and such people will have place in Pakistan, not in India,” he said.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) distanced itself from the comment, three FIRs were also lodged against him for hate speech. He was later granted bail.
In 2010, when Nitish Kumar and JD-U president Sharad Yadav refused to hold Modi campaign in the state for polls, Singh announced he would invite Modi to campaign in his constituency.
Later on, he openly questioned former chief minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to return the aid given by then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in 2008 for flood relief.
In July this year, two months after he won the Lok Sabha polls, over Rs.1.14 crore and $600 in cash and jewellery stolen from Giriraj Singh’s house was recovered. He later said the items recovered belonged to his cousin. The case is still being probed.
Giriraj Singh had also described slain Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh Mukhiya as a Gandhian in 2011. Ranvir Sena, a private militia of landed upper caste, was allegedly involved in killing of nearly 300 people, mostly Dalits.