Patna: Shortly after the Janata Dal (United) sought a point-wise reply from former party chief RCP Singh regarding all properties he had acquired in the last nine years, the leader on Saturday resigned from the primary membership of the party. The announcement came in Singh's home district of Nalanda. Speaking to his supporters, he said, "Ye jhola dhone walon ki party hai (This party keeps changing sides)".
"I have asked the workers to be with me," he added. Bihar JD(U) president Umesh Kushwaha has issued a letter seeking point wise reply on the matter. The letter says that RCP and his family members have made huge fortunes between 2013 and 2022 and a lot of irregularities have been found.
“You have been working with our leader Nitish Kumarji for a long time as an officer and politician. Our leader gave you the opportunity to become a Rajya Sabha member twice, national general secretary and national president of the party apart from the Union Minister. You are very much aware that our leader has zero tolerance for corruption and no allegations have been levelled against our leader nor he has acquired any property. Now the party expects point wise reply on the complaint by our workers immediately,” it was stated in the letter, which was sent August 4.
The details of his properties have also been attached in the letter furnished by the JD(U) workers. Interestingly, the matter has come to the fore after a week in which a video went viral when RCP's supporters were chanting slogans like "Bihar ka Mukhya Mantri Kaisa Ho, RCP Singh Jaisa Ho." (How should be Bihar CM, it should be like RCP Singh).
Once the close confidante of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who enjoyed the second in command of the party, Singh was dropped from the Union Cabinet after JD(U) refused to renominate him for the Rajya Sabha. The decision not to continue his term was taken after it was realised that he had shifted his loyalty to BJP rather than JD(U) ever since he has become a minister in the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Also read: RCP Singh denies rift with Nitish Kumar over Rajya Sabha ticket
JD(U) parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha said that investigative agencies can take this matter as suo-moto and can investigate.“Our party has zero tolerance for corruption and if any information related to our party leaders has come to the public domain he must clarify it. We are waiting for his reply and our next action is depending on it. We have come to know from different sources that he has amassed huge properties while serving in the party in different positions and also while being a minister. Party is not the agency to investigate the matter related to properties, but yes any investigative agencies can take up this matter as suo-moto,” Kushwaha said.
The 24-year-old relationship between Nitish and Singh is no longer the same. Singh had a long association with Nitish since the time of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. RCP was once Nitish's Principal Secretary. In 2010, RCP had taken the VRS and the same year he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Bihar Congress Committee spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari alleged that all the JD(U) leaders have amassed huge properties through corruption. Along with RCP, the properties of his daughter should also be investigated, Tiwari alleged.
RJD leader and MLA Bhai Birendra echoed the same and said that RCP was a shadow of Nitish and there are several other JD (U) leaders, who have amassed huge properties. “RCP was Nitish's shadow and it is a matter of investigation how he amassed huge properties. There are many leaders, who sit left and right of the government and make properties, RCP is one of them. Such people have robbed the properties of the country and state. A thorough investigation should take place,” Birendra said. It was the leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who had coined the word RCP Tax in Bihar and had been continuously alleging that the former JD(U) boss had made huge properties. Repeated attempts to contact RCP with regard to the notice issued by the JD(U) proved futile.
