New Delhi: Union Steel Minister RCP Singh on Tuesday pooh-poohed questions about his relations with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his political mentor, reportedly going through a rough patch. The former JD(U) national president, whose Rajya Sabha tenure ends next month, also refused to be drawn into speculations that Kumar was reluctant to field him for another term.
"I have excellent relations with all, including you journalists," said Singh who returned to the national capital on a day the notifications for biennial Rajya Sabha polls were issued. The seat held by Singh is among the five in Bihar for which polls are due. The union minister who got inducted into the Narendra Modi cabinet a year ago is enjoying his second consecutive term in the Rajya Sabha.
Singh also parried questions about his verified Twitter handle having no mention of his association with the JD(U) though it carried all other details of his political life and his bureaucratic and academic career. A former IAS officer, Singh entered politics and joined JD(U) in 2010. A UP cadre officer, Singh had earned the trust of Kumar while on central deputation when the latter was the railway minister.
Earlier, the minister had skipped JD(U) meeting held in Patna on Friday, later in the day, he appeared along with Nitish Kumar at a marriage function in Ara. At that time, both leaders shared the same sofa but the differences between the duo can be sensed.
"It's a tricky situation for Nitish Kumar, sending RCP Singh to Rajya Sabha is an unwilling compulsion for Kumar, as at this point he doesn't want any upset top leadership of the BJP. If RCP Singh's ticket to Rajya Sabha is not confirmed, then there are chances that he might part away with his supporters. Perhaps because of such reasons, Nitish Kumar must have tried to assess his strength by holding an emergency meeting." said Dr Sanjay Kumar, a political analyst
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Upon assuming power in Bihar, Kumar brought Singh to the state as his principal secretary. Hailing from the Nalanda district and belonging to the Kurmi caste-like his benefactor, Singh saw his stock rise rapidly in the JD(U) and he came to head the party after Kumar gave up the national president's post in January 2021. He gave up the top party post a few months later upon induction into the Union Council of Ministers.
He is understood to have been engaged in a political tug of war with Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan by whom he has been succeeded as the party's national president. The union minister, whose daughter Lipi is a Bihar cadre IPS officer, is often seen to be in sync with the BJP on a range of ideological issues. The stance is said to have not gone down well with Kumar who has been a BJP ally for three decades but remained keen on being seen as a die-hard socialist.
(With Agency Inputs)
