PATNA: Hours after he was accused by some party workers of corruption and amassing huge wealth, former Union minister RCP Singh resigned from the primary membership of Janata Dal-United on Saturday and hinted at forming a new party soon. Singh, once considered the ‘Hanuman’ of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was estranged from him for some time now and was denied re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha by the JD-U. He resigned from Union cabinet days before his term in the Upper House came to an end on July 7.
He alleged that the corruption charges were levelled against him by two leaders of his home district Nalanda under a conspiracy.According to the allegations, Singh had purchased 58 plots of land in two blocks of Nalanda between 2013 and 2022. The plots were purchased in the name of his wife and two daughters. JD-U state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha issued a show-cause notice to Singh saying the allegations were serious and asked him to reply at the earliest. Former Union minister and JD-U parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha said since the matter was now into public domain and the relevant investigating agency may take suo motu cognisance of the charges against Singh. Responding to a query, Kushwaha said the party had sought Singh’s reply and will take action accordingly.
Singh had joined JD-U after taking voluntary retirement from IAS in 2010. He had served as national president of JD-U before he was inducted in Union cabinet and made steel minister in the Modi government. His relationship with Nitish got strained after he was denied nomination for Rajya Sabha for the third term. He owed political success to his proximity with Nitish during the latter’s tenure as railway minister at the Centre. When Nitish became CM, Singh was made his principal secretary. He was made national president of the party in January last year after Nitish relinquished the post under ‘one man one post policy’.