Two JD-U MLAs suspended; one said he will re-start murdering people

Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United on Tuesday suspended two of its legislators from the party for six years -- one for saying he will again begin committing murders and another for describing the national anthem as a symbol of slavery.

Gopal Mandal and Rana Gangeshwar Singh had been suspended by the party for making objectionable statements in public, JD-U state president Vashisht Narain Singh told reporters here.

"It was decided at the core meeting of the JD-U, attended by chief minister Nitish Kumar and other senior party leaders. The JD-U national president Sharad Yadav was also informed about it," he said.

The two legislators had been issued show cause notices to explain themselves, Vashisht Narain Singh said.

Gopal Mandal, who is involved in a number of criminal cases, on Tuesday said he would now resort to the politics of murder. He said he would re-start killing just as he used to do in the past.

"Main ab hatya ki rajniti hi karunga aur hatya karwaunga" (I will now do politics of murder and order murders)," said the legislator from Gopalpur in Bihar's Bhagalpur district at a function.

He also said: "Pahle bhi hatya karta tha, ab bhi karoonga (I used to commit murders in the past and will do it again).

Ruing the "false" allegations levelled by his rivals in the opposition, Mandal said he would again wield a gun to kill.

The other lawmaker, Rana Gangeshwar Singh, who is a member of the legislative council, on Tuesday described India's national anthem ('Jana Gana Mana') as a symbol of slavery that paid tribute to those who exploited the Indians.

It is high time there was a review of 'Jana Gana Mana' and it was replaced with another poem, said Gangeshwar Singh at a function to mark Bihar Diwas in Samastipur district of the state.

His comment invited immediate protests with some people at the function shouting slogans against him and demanding an apology from him.

Gangeshwar Singh had left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last year to join the JD-U.