Patna: Former union minister RCP Singh today quit the Janata Dal (United) after a series of snubs from the party boss, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was unhappy ever since he took a spot in Narendra Modi’s cabinet last year without his consent. Mr Singh had to leave that berth last month after the JDU denied him another term in the Rajya Sabha.Nitish Kumar has been opposed to the BJP’s offer of “token representation” to allies at the Centre. But RCP Singh had apparently dealt directly with the BJP leadership, bypassing Mr Kumar. Relations between the two parties, though partners in Bihar’s ruling alliance, haven’t been particularly cordial lately.Mr Singh, a former IAS officer who was once the national president of JDU, made the announcement — that he’s resigning from party membership — at his village in Nalanda, where he’s been camping over the past few days to strengthen his base.In the latest snub earlier this week, the JDU sought a reply from Mr Singh on properties he’s acquired in the last nine years. This came days after videos emerged in which RCP Singh is raising slogans projecting himself as future chief minister. In its letter to Mr Singh, the party claimed that several irregularities had been noticed in the property deals.He described it as an attempt to humiliate him. “These properties were bought by my wife or daughters who are income tax payers since 2010,” he told NDTV.In June, he was evicted out of a spacious bungalow in Patna’s VIP zone.Since his resignation from PM Modi’s cabinet, Mr Singh has been at his native village and touring nearby areas.
Source link
Strange India 