patna:
Bihar’s Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh, who often embarrassed Nitish Kumar’s government for his outspokenness, has tendered his resignation, his father and RJD President Jagadanand Singh said on Sunday.
Although the minister could not be reached for his comments after the drastic move, his father said Sudhakar Singh had voiced concerns of the farming community “but sometimes this is not enough. Sacrifices have to be made. That is why the agriculture minister must have sent his letter of resignation to the government”.
Jagadanand Singh, whose proximity to RJD President Lalu Prasad and heir Tejashwi Yadav has earned him a second consecutive term as head of the state unit, cryptically added that the move was taken “because we didn’t want the gap to widen” (hum nahin chahte hain ki ye ladaai aage badhe).
He recalled Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, whose birth anniversaries fall on October 2, and added that his son had followed in their footsteps by sympathizing with the farmers.
Sudhakar Singh, a first-term RJD MLA from Ramgarh, had left the prime minister furious by speaking candidly on several occasions about corruption and bureaucratic waywardness in his department.
The BJP, which has been licking its wounds since losing power in the upheaval caused by Mr Kumar’s departure from the NDA, seized the opportunity.
“Sudhakar Singh had raised his voice against ‘afsarshahi’ (bureaucratic waywardness). This is something Prime Minister Nitish Kumar cannot tolerate. That is why he has been forced to resign,” BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal said.
The BJP had reacted furiously when Mr Singh was inducted into the cabinet over a case involving default by a rice mill he owned.
Mr Singh had started his political career as a BJP leader fighting Ramgarh on a party card in 2010 when he lost his deposit.
The multi-party Mahagathbandhan, including RJD, the CM’s JD(U), Congress and the Left, seemed to be in a state of confusion over the minister’s sudden move.
“We don’t know who the resignation was submitted to. Unless there’s something official, we can’t comment,” said Congress spokesman Asit Nath Tiwari whose party was a longtime RJD ally.
RJD sources said Sudhakar Singh has not submitted his resignation to the prime minister, but to Tejashwi Yadav, the deputy CM, leaving the ball in his court.
JD(U) head of the parliamentary council, Upendra Kushwaha, said: “The development will not affect the stability of the government. Sudhakar Singh had said in the past that he will resign if Lalu and Tejashwi tell him. Maybe he was given the orders”.
If the letter of resignation is accepted, Sudhakar Singh will be the second minister to leave the “Mahagathbandhan” cabinet. Last month fellow RJD leader Kartik Kumar resigned after feeling belittled for being relieved of the legal portfolio, linked to a controversy over his alleged involvement in a kidnapping case.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)