Patna, Sep 29: The ongoing dispute between JD(U) MLA Anant Singh and party MLC Neeraj Kumar has reached the party’s top leadership, with JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha and Minister Shrawon Kumar meeting former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday.

After the meeting, both leaders said Nitish Kumar had been apprised of the details of the dispute.

They said the party would make a decision on the matter and share further details later, while maintaining that the immediate priority was to focus on the upcoming election.

The dispute has intensified after Anant Singh announced his support for Jan Suraaj candidate Anuj Kumar Singh in the Patna Graduates constituency election.

Anant Singh has maintained that his differences with Neeraj Kumar are personal and do not represent any dispute within the JD(U).

He has also said he would campaign extensively for Anuj Kumar Singh and work to defeat Neeraj Kumar.

On Monday, Anant Singh held a press conference with Anuj Kumar Singh at his residence in Patna and reiterated his support for the Jan Suraaj candidate.

“I have never lost an election to date. Anuj Singh will also win. For me, the public is God; they will vote for us. Patna will be packed during Anuj Singh’s nomination filing—we have made massive preparations,” he said.

During the press conference, Anant Singh levelled several allegations against Neeraj Kumar.

He alleged that an AK-47 had been planted at his residence in the past and claimed that this had resulted in his arrest and imprisonment.

He further alleged that Neeraj Kumar had repeatedly worked to ensure his defeat in elections and claimed that former JD(U) leader R.C.P. Singh had helped Neeraj Kumar in the matter.

These allegations were made by Anant Singh and have not been independently established.

Anant Singh also said he was determined to defeat Neeraj Kumar in the upcoming election and claimed he would work to ensure that Neeraj Kumar lost his security deposit.

The exchange has added to the political friction between the two leaders ahead of the Patna Graduates constituency election.

Neeraj Kumar, the sitting MLC from the Patna Graduates constituency, is preparing to contest the election again, while Anant Singh has publicly thrown his support behind Jan Suraaj candidate Anuj Kumar Singh.

The JD(U) leadership’s next step will determine how the party addresses the dispute between the two leaders as the election campaign gathers momentum.

New York, Sep 29: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says that the US’s lack of sensitivity to India’s concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan is a problem for Washington-New Delhi relations.

He did name Pakistan, but made it amply clear he was referring to it by ascribing the terrorism to “a neighbour” that uses it as a policy, and it was criticism directed at President Donald Trump for developing close relations with Pakistan, ignoring its role as a purveyor of terror.

“Perhaps there are very few countries which have been subjected to the kind of terrorism that we have from a neighbour as part of a deliberate conscious policy over many, many decades”, he said on Monday.

Therefore, the terrorism issue is “particularly important” for India, he said.

“Now, if something which matters so deeply to us, there isn’t enough understanding or appreciation or empathy of that, I think that creates a problem”, He said.

If “one of my primary concerns is not fully appreciated by my partner, then clearly there is a impact on that on the relationship”, he said.

He made these comments during an event in New York when he was asked about factors hindering better U.S. relations.

He said that besides trade, this insensitivity to terrorism was a factor.

Trump has entirely walked away from the issue of terrorism when it comes to Pakistan, in a change from the policies of the previous administrations.

Previously, the US recognised Islamabad’s role in backing global terrorism, which reached its height with the 2001 attacks by al-Qaida on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington.

Pakistan’s role as an accessory to the attacks was exposed when al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was found to be living under Pakistan’s protection.

Ujjain, Sep 29: The removal of a portion of the Shahi Masjid at Chhatri Chowk in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, continued for the second day on Tuesday amid tight security, with a heavy police deployment and senior administrative officials monitoring the situation following the previous day’s stone-pelting incident.

Police personnel have been deployed in large numbers around the site as a precautionary measure, while nearby markets remained closed. Regular flag marches were also conducted in the area to maintain law and order.

Ujjain Collector Raushan Kumar Singh, who was present at the spot, said the situation remained peaceful and under control. “Peace and security are fully maintained here, and the law and order situation is completely under control. We are present at the spot and closely monitoring the situation,” Singh told media.

The portion of the mosque being removed falls within the alignment of a road being widened as part of preparations for Simhastha 2028.

According to the district administration, members of the Muslim community had agreed to voluntarily remove the affected portion following a meeting held on Sunday night between senior administrative and police officials and community representatives.

The removal work began on Monday in the presence of administrative and police officials. However, it was briefly disrupted after a crowd gathered at the site and stones were allegedly pelted at police personnel deployed there.

Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and subsequently strengthened security around Chhatri Chowk. Senior officers remained at the spot to supervise the work and maintain law and order.

Eight FIRs have been registered at Mahakal, Kharakuwa and Kotwali police stations in connection with the stone-pelting incidents, naming 20 people as accused.

Police said all those named in the cases related to stone-pelting had been arrested. Police have also registered an FIR under Sections 196(1), 299, 353(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita over the alleged circulation of misleading messages and videos on social media.

According to police, Imran Khan had posted a message on Instagram on September 27, urging people to gather at Chhatri Chowk. In another video circulated through an Instagram account, a person identified as Arif Pathan allegedly asked people to assemble near the mosque at 2 a.m.

The road-widening project is aimed at improving connectivity and facilitating the movement of pilgrims and religious processions through congested areas of Ujjain ahead of Simhastha 2028. “We appeal to everyone to continue extending cooperation, maintain peace and refrain from believing or spreading rumours. The situation is being closely monitored,” Raushan Kumar Singh said.