Patna: The Janata Dal (United) has put a question mark on the political future of its senior party leader, R.C.P. Singh, by denying him another term in the Rajya Sabha.
This would mean that Singh – the party’s only representative in the Union Cabinet – will now have to resign as Steel Minister since his Upper House tenure ends in June.
JD(U), the ruling party in Bihar, has instead chosen to nominate little-known Kheru Mahto from the seat in Jharkhand.
The JD(U) leadership explained that the decision to nominate Mahto – Jharkhand unit state president and one-time MLA from Hazaribhagh – was to strengthen the party in the state.
JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan or Lallan Singh said: “The JD(U) honoured R.C.P Singh by appointing him Member of Parliament and supporting his ministership, but now it is time to expand in Jharkhand.”
The JD(U) dropped Singh as soon as ally BJP announced its candidates from Bihar — Satish Chandra Dubey and Shambhu Saran Patel. Patel, a Kurmi, joined the BJP after being expelled from the JD(U).
With no chance from Bihar either, Singh’s political future looks grim.
Why is JD(U) angry with Singh?
Singh, a 1984-batch IAS officer, was close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar since his days as Union Railways Minister. He had also served Kumar as principal secretary.
Leaders, however, pointed out that things went south once Singh got too close to the BJP.
Ever since he became a Union Minister in the Cabinet reshuffle in 2021, Singh has taken independent views of the caste census (favoured by Nitish Kumar and disliked by the BJP), the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and other issues, JD(U) leaders said.
His Twitter handle has photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not immediate boss Nitish Kumar. He also got close to Union Minister Bhupendar Yadav – a man Nitish Kumar blames for his sour relationship with the BJP high command. Lately, Singh also ignored several functions held by the Bihar chief minister at his official residence, like an ‘Iftaar’ party.
Though BJP is a political ally, Nitish Kumar was still suspicious of such open display of camaraderie, party sources said. They, however, denied the partnership in Bihar was under any threat.
Why Kheru Mahto?
This choice has surprised multiple party leaders. An MLA felt Nitish Kumar should have picked someone from Bihar as a replacement for Singh.
He said: “Kheru Mahto has been with Nitish Kumar ever since the Samata Party was formed in 1994. But the Mahtos of Jharkhand never aligned themselves with the Kurmis of Bihar. Swadesh Mahto of All Jharkhand Students Union is their leader, not Nitish Kumar. I cannot understand how this decision will have political gains for our chief minister.”
What will R.C.P. Singh do?
Singh has been very close to Nitish Kumar since 2005. First, he was private secretary to Kumar. In 2010, he was nominated for the Rajya Sabha after he took voluntary retirement as an Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer and joined the party.
However, Nitish Kumar was not happy when BJP made Singh a Union Minister in 2021, party insiders said. It was rumoured that Singh negotiated the ministry post for himself, by undercutting Nitish Kumar’s demand for four representatives from the JD(U).
But when the party dithered on his renomination, Singh said: “I became Union Minister only after Nitish Babu recommended my name to the central BJP leadership. I have been loyal to Nitishji.”
With his berth most likely gone, Singh’s supporters say the leader will lie low for a while. An MLA said: “But he will be a serious threat to Nitish Kumar in the long run. There is already a perception that he has been ousted at the behest of a Bhumihar leader (read Lallan Singh). He might join the BJP at a later stage and wait to strike back at the chief minister.”
Meanwhile, Singh thanked Kumar at a press meet on Monday, for “providing him the opportunity to serve JD(U) in various capacities”. “I have worked with Nitish Kumar for the last 25 years. He must have assessed my utility while making the decision,” he said.
The Union minister also said he had done nothing to anger his party leader, but added he would meet the Prime Minister before resigning the ministry.
The five from Bihar
With Singh out and Kheru Mahto in, the nominees for the five Rajya Sabha in Bihar are clear. Rashtriya Janata Dal has nominated Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharati for a second term. It has also nominated former MLA Faiyaz Ahmad, who runs a medical college in Madhubani.
BJP has picked Satish Dubey — the man who gave up his Lok Sabha seat in 2019 for the BJP-JD(U) alliance to happen. The entry of Shambhu Sharan Patel and Kheru Mahto from Jharkhand are surprises.
Also read: Sonu Kumar — how ‘son of alcoholic’ called out Nitish Kumar & became a star in Bihar