The Janata Dal (United) has expelled Mokama MLA Anant Singh and his wife, former MLA Neelam Devi, from the party for six years over alleged anti-party activities during the recent Bihar Legislative Council elections.

JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha announced the action on Saturday, citing repeated violations of party directives, alleged derogatory remarks against the party’s senior leadership, and Anant Singh’s decision to oppose the party’s candidate in the Patna Graduates’ constituency election and campaign in support of a candidate associated with Jan Suraaj.

In a letter announcing the action, Kushwaha said Anant Singh’s primary membership had been terminated for six years.

The party has also written to the Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, seeking action against his membership under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with disqualification on grounds of defection.

Any decision on disqualification rests with the competent constitutional authority.

The party has separately revoked the primary membership of Anant Singh’s wife, Neelam Devi, and expelled her for six years over her alleged involvement in anti-party activities.

The action follows a public dispute between Anant Singh and JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar during the election for the Patna Graduates’ constituency of the Bihar Legislative Council.

Anant Singh openly opposed Neeraj Kumar and extended support to Anuj Singh, who contested on a Jan Suraaj ticket.

Party leaders made several attempts to resolve the dispute. Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, a senior JD(U) leader and close aide of Nitish Kumar, was reportedly sent to persuade Anant Singh to reconsider his position.

However, the efforts did not produce a resolution.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Health Minister Nishant Kumar and JD(U) National Working President Sanjay Jha were also involved in efforts to address the differences.

The dispute drew further attention on October 23, the polling day, when Anant Singh said he did not recognise Lalan Singh, remarking that there were “a hundred Lalan Singhs in Bihar” and that he did not know him.

Anant Singh’s opposition to the official candidate placed him at odds with the party leadership during a key election.

The expulsion now marks a formal escalation of the conflict, while the request to the Assembly Speaker opens a separate constitutional process concerning his legislative membership.

The episode has brought party discipline and internal differences within the JD(U) into focus following the Legislative Council elections.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf will be unable to attend the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries in New Delhi next week due to “certain unforeseen circumstances”, the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi stated on Saturday.

The Parliament of India will host the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum on October 26-27 in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.

“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi wishes to inform that, due to certain unforeseen circumstances, H.E. Dr. Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, will be unable to attend the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries in New Delhi,” read a statement issued by the Iranian Embassy on Saturday.

“It is also emphasised that the parliamentary delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran will participate in the meeting. As one of the members of BRICS, Iran reaffirms its commitment to active and effective participation at the highest levels in the summits and meetings of this grouping,” it added.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the country’s delegation will continue its dialogue and consultations with delegations from BRICS member countries in New Delhi, with a view to expanding and deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of parliamentary relations and cooperation.

“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Government of the Republic of India for its gracious hospitality and the arrangements made to host this meeting. It wishes the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries every success and hopes that it will yield constructive outcomes towards strengthening cooperation and engagement among member countries,” the statement added.

Several global parliamentary leaders will assemble in New Delhi for the conference being hosted under India’s chairship on the theme of people-centric development.

Earlier this week, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla mentioned that the conference marks a new chapter in the history of India’s parliamentary diplomacy. It will bring together Presiding Officers and parliamentary leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, Union Ministers, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Presiding Officers of State Legislatures, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries.

The Lok Sabha Speaker stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would grace the event and meet the leaders of the visiting delegations.

He further stated that the conference would feature bilateral and multilateral interactions with the leaders of visiting delegations and parliamentary friendship groups. A meeting of the Secretaries of the delegations will be held on Monday to finalise the Joint Statement of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

Highlighting the central theme of the programme, he said that the forum would deliberate on the overarching theme of ‘Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development’.

He added that, building on the legacy of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum would facilitate consensus-based dialogue through four high-level sessions, titled Resilience: The critical role of parliaments in strengthening institutions to ensure a better future; Innovation: Promoting human-centred innovation in artificial intelligence and digital technologies through parliaments; Cooperation: Ensuring a more representative system of global governance through parliamentary cooperation; and, Sustainability: The role of parliaments in ensuring a sustainable and inclusive future for our countries.

Members of the delegations will visit the Parliament of India and also enjoy cultural visits in Delhi.

Amid the rating controversy over the Rs 500-crore audio clip recently brought to light by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil, Shiv Sena MP and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde broke his silence on Saturday, saying that he is also looking for the amount claimed in the purported audio clip.

He said that the person to whom these Rs 500 crores were supposed to be sent hasn’t reached him. “The question that has crossed Manoj Jarange Patil’s mind has also crossed mine, and I am now out searching for it,” he said.

In a sarcastic tone, he added, “We were discussing how Rs 500 crore in cash would look together and how many vehicles would be required to transport it.”

Shrikant Shinde’s reaction is important as the audio clip mentioned a transaction of Rs 500 crore, with allegations that this money was delivered to Jarange Patil through the former.

Shrikant Shinde clarified that the issue now falls under the purview of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and everything will come to light at the appropriate time. Just as Jarange Patil is investigating the issue, he mentioned that he is also looking into the matter himself.

“If you find out, you tell me; if I find out, I will tell you,” he remarked.

Amidst all these developments, Jarange Patil has warned that he possesses more “nuclear bombs.”

CM Fadnavis has already ordered a forensic probe, while BJP and Shiv Sena have demanded an impartial probe.

Earlier, Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan claimed that there is a deep-seated conspiracy to finish off the leadership of both Manoj Jarange-Patil and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He also demanded a technical and forensic analysis of the audio clip.

Further, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Chandrakant Khaire has levelled serious accusations against the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.

He asked, “Who made Manoj Jarange Patil big, and why are they now trying to sideline him?” Khaire asserted that Jarange Patil fought to secure justice and rights for the Maratha community, which is why the community stood firmly behind him.”

However, he claimed that leaders have become worried about their own political future due to Jarange Patil’s growing influence.

Khaire demanded that the controversial audio clip be sent for forensic testing and the truth be brought before the public. He made a strong case for an impartial inquiry. Khaire also raised questions regarding the alleged Rs 500-crore transaction.

He demanded an inquiry into Shrikant Shinde if his name is being linked to this financial transaction. He further claimed that this entire episode has the blessings of the BJP, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.