Bihar minister Sudhakar Singh resigns after making corruption allegations

Bihar agriculture minister Sudhakar Singh, who has repeatedly alleged corruption in his department, on Sunday tendered his resignation, his father and state Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Jagadanand Singh said on Sunday.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar accepted his resignation, according to a statement from his office later in the day, and give the porfolio to tourism minister Kumar Sarvjeet. The tourism portfolio, in turn, was handed over to deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the statement said.

While the minister did not make any comment regarding his step, his father pointed out that he was “not feeling comfortable in pursuing policies of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in the agriculture department.”

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“He had lent his voice to the concerns of farmers, but sometimes, this is not enough. Sacrifices have to be made. Therefore, the agriculture minister has sent his resignation letter to the government,” Jagadanand Singh told reporters. “He has taken the step in the interest of people and farmers.”

Sudhakar Singh, a first-term legislator from Ramgarh in Kaimur district, sent his resignation to Yadav.

“The deputy CM will deliberate on the matter. Right now, nothing more can be said,” said an aide of Yadav.

The state RJD chief further said: “The RJD already has its clear policy on agriculture... We do not want the rift to get widen. This is why, he has resigned,” said the RJD state president, elaborating on the reason why his son had put in his papers.

The RJD MLA — who had recently flagged the issue of corruption in his department — on Saturday said he would not allow the “continuation of BJP agenda” in his department with the formation of the Grand Alliance government in the state. He had also claimed that statistics of the government indicated utter failure of the agriculture road maps in achieving their objectives on any count.

After the first two agriculture road maps for the state were launched in 2008 and 2012, the third one was launched in 2017 by former president Ram Nath Kovind. The NDA government in Bihar had decided to extend it beyond 2022. The agriculture ministry was with the BJP until chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) severed ties with the NDA.

Pointing out that he will not rest till the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and ‘mandi’ system are restored, Singh had said the decision of scrapping them in 2006 was “anti-farmer” in nature. The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar had repealed the APMC Act and ‘mandi’ (wholesale markets for agricultural produce) in 2006 during NDA rule in the state.

Earlier, BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had attacked Singh and sought his removal from the cabinet alleging he was accused of embezzling ₹5.31 crore in the 2013 rice scam.

Insiders in the RJD said the resignation was a clear sign of internal friction brewing between the party and the JD(U) and also an indication of how the RJD top brass wanted more autonomy in departments held by ministers from the party.

The opposition BJP also latched on to the opportunity, saying the move clearly indicates friction within the ruling alliance partners.

“Sudhakar Singh had been raising his voice against corruption in the agriculture department but it seems it did not go down well with the chief minister. Bureaucracy rules the roost in the Nitish government,” said state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal. “Besides, this alliance is a coalition of opportunism where both the RJD and JD(U) are trying to outsmart each other. In the end, people of Bihar are suffering.”

Senior JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha, however, said the development “is not going to affect the stability” of the government. “Sudhakar Singh had said in the past that he will resign when being told to do so by [RJD chief] Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi. Maybe he got the orders,” added Kushwaha.

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Congress’s state spokesperson A Tripathi said there was nothing to comment because “it is not confirmed whether it has reached the CM’s office or has been accepted”.

Nawal Kishore Choudhary, a political observer and former principal of Patna College, said: “The reason why Sudhakar Singh has stepped down is apparently out of pressure because the CM and his deputy were feeling uncomfortable with Singh’s repeated allegations of corruption. Singh has been embarrassing the government of late, by his outspokenness.”

If the resignation is accepted, Singh will be the second minister to exit the Grand Alliance cabinet. RJD leader Kartik Kumar resigned soon after he was relieved of law portfolio last month.