Sushant Singh was not a 'Rajput', should not have committed suicide, says Bihar RJD MLA Arun Yadav, sparks row

Patna: Amid ongoing CBI probe into Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, a Bihar RJD MLA on Thursday said that the late actor should have fought back and not committed suicide.

“He was not a Rajput, as a descendant of Maharana Pratap cannot die by suicide. We are sad, he should not have died by suicide. He was a Rajput, he should have fought back,”

RJD MLA Arun Yadav said. The RJD leader also hit out at the JD(U) and BJP leaders for asking him to apologise to the people of Bihar and Sushant’s fans for making the casteist comment.

"I say that he (Sushant) was not a Rajput. Please don’t mind but a Rajput who belongs to Maharana Pratap's clan cannot hang himself by a rope," Yadav reiterated while inaugurating a newly-built road in Saharsa, his assembly constituency.

"I am pained... Sushant Singh Rajput should not have hanged himself with a rope. He was a Rajput and should have fought instead... Rajputs first kill others before dying, he added.

#WATCH: He was not a Rajput, as descendant of Maharana Pratap cannot die by suicide... We are sad, he should not have died by suicide. He was a Rajput, he should have fought back: Bihar RJD MLA Arun Yadav#SushantSinghRajput (16.09.2020) pic.twitter.com/nRkciaG4Cn — ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2020

Maharana Pratap was not only the ancestor of Rajputs but also that of the Yadavs, the RJD legislator said. Yadav’s comments triggered widespread criticism as the actor's death has turned into a major issue in the state ahead of the elections that is likely to be held in October-November.

"There cannot be a more bizarre and shameful statement than the one made by the RJD MLA on the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, which has moved the entire nation. The MLA should seek an apology from the people of the state and Sushant's fans," JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said.

Condemning the remark, BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said RJD leaders and workers are "habitual offenders" and this is evident from the humiliation meted out to senior leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh by Lalu Prasad’s eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav who compared him to "ek lota pani" (a pot of water).

Tejashwi must clarify and explain his position whether he supports the likes of MLA Arun Yadav and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary on the issue of Sushant Singh Rajput, Kangana Ranaut and Rhea Chakraborty, Anand said.

People will give a befitting reply at an "appropriate time", he said, referring to the assembly election. Sushant Singh Rajput's death case is currently being probed by CBI and other central agencies. KK Singh, the actor's father, lodged an FIR at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna in July, nearly 40 days after his son was found hanging from the ceiling of his Mumbai residence on June 14.