Patna,(BiharTimes): Political observers in Bihar are surprised on the manner in which the NDA leaders from the state––now even the chief minister Nitish Kumar––are hailing the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as the CBI director by the UPA government in New Delhi. And that too when the two BJP stalwarts, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, strongly opposed the procedure adopt to appoint him.

Seldom has in the history been such an appointment been welcomed by the opposition combination and that too when till a few years back, during the height of the fodder scam trial, Ranjit was the most maligned IPS officer posted in the state.

The entire NDA leadership had been baying for his blood when he was the DIG of CBI then. He was repeatedly accused of being shielding RJD leader, Lalu Yadav, (who in the initial months of the trial was the chief minister of the state) and some senior bureaucrats whose name figured in the scam.

Analysts are of the view that there are at least three important factors responsible for this strong support for Ranjit Sinha. Firstly, it is not just Lalu Yadav, whose name figured prominently in the fodder scam. There are several leaders in the ruling NDA who too are under the cloud in the fodder scam trial. Sometimes back a petition was filed against chief minister Nitish Kumar and Janata Dal (United) spokesman, Shivanand Tiwary, too.

“Now that Ranjit has already been appointed as the director nobody in the state wants to displease him,” said an observer, who wished not be quoted.

Secondly, the caste factor too is compelling NDA leaders to back Ranjit’s appointment. “He is a Kayastha from an influential family from Bihar and nobody in NDA would afford to oppose his appointment at this point of time for obvious political reason,” he said.

The third factor as was worded by deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, and later by Nitish Kumar that “it is a matter of pride for the state that he has become the CBI director” is just to camouflage the above two reasons.

But the issue has raised a very significant moral question: “It is nothing but sheer hypocrisy. Ranjit Sinha was accused of wrong doing by the same set of people who are now welcoming his appointment. It either suggests that their allegations in the past were baseless or that they can do anything for the political gain,” commented Prof S K Sinha, while talking to BiharTimes.