Former Union Minister R.C.P. Singh, who had also been the national president of the Janata Dal (United), joined the BJP at the party’s national headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. Mr. Singh also accused his one-time mentor, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, of allowing his ambition get the better of him.
Mr. Singh was welcomed to the party by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who tweeted that Mr. Singh was joining the BJP influenced by the development and welfare policies of the Narendra Modi government, and that his “vast experience will help the BJP in Bihar”.
Once considered the closest of aides to Mr. Kumar, Mr. Singh resigned from the Union Council of Ministers and the JD(U) last year after he was denied a re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha by the party, making his continuance in the Ministry untenable and exposing the differences between Mr. Singh and Mr. Kumar. Mr. Singh was seen by the JD(U) to be veering closer to the BJP which is said to have soured the relationship between Mr. Singh and Mr. Kumar.
Joining the BJP, Mr. Singh took a swipe at Mr. Kumar, saying that the latter had compromised his stand against crime and corruption for his love of the chair. “He will be left with nothing in Bihar,” Mr. Singh said and lauded PM Modi for his work for the poor and overall leadership of the country.
In strong remarks against Mr. Kumar, Mr. Singh mocked him as “palti maar” (someone who keeps taking a U-turn) and said he was and will remain “PM [Palti Maar]“.
Mr. Singh said if no work is happening in the country, then how did India become the fifth largest economy in the world. He also took potshots at Mr. Kumar for his efforts to forge unity among the Opposition ranks. “Nitish Kumar was given the mandate of Bihar’s development but he has been travelling from one State to another,” Mr. Singh said.
A bureaucrat, Mr. Singh served under Mr. Kumar when he was a Union Minister and was brought into politics by the JD(U) leader. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha twice and was for long the most powerful leader in the party after Mr. Kumar before their fallout. He also belongs to the Kurmi community, like Mr. Kumar.
