Former union minister RCP Singh and JD-U president on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
RCP Singh’s induction in the BJP doing the rounds when he resigned on August 6, 2022 from the JD(U) over corruption charges.
He was denied a third successive term in the Rajya Sabha by the party due to which he had to quit the union cabinet.
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Speaking on the induction, Pradhan said Singh had been a key player in Bihar as part of the tie up under Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Late George Fernandes to rid the state of RJD misrule.
“Singh tried to prevent it even in 2013 and pulled him back to keep Bihar on the right track, but Nitish Kumar repeated it, diluting the good work done. He is a man who cannot compromise with principles. I welcome him to the party fold and look forward to his contribution as a dedicated worker to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president JP Nadda,” he added.
Soon after joining the BJP, Singh hit out the Bihar chief minister
“I have always maintained that he is PM – but in Nitish Kumar’s case it stands for ‘Palti-Mar’ (U-turn). Imagine how many times he has made U-turn. And for what? For his personal ambition only. The BJP helped him fight against the RJD misrule since 2005 and he has again landed up with them. He did the same in 2013 and I had opposed the move then also. His Opposition-unity move is a sham just to keep him afloat even if it costs the state and its people dearly,” he added.
Singh added that Kumar compromised on the growth potential of Bihar as a state.
“First, have you seen a CM who is moving to three states in three days, while his own state is struggling on all fronts? He says the Narendra Modi government is doing nothing. Well, how come India has become the 5th largest economy in the world from 10th in 2014, while Bihar has remained at the bottom of the ladder. The mandate to the NDA government he headed as CM was to bring Bihar back on track and establish the rule of law. He has compromised both. His concern is confined to keeping his chair intact. He should answer for Bihar. Before every election, there is a move for Opposition unity, but it is never able to decide on one leader,” he added.
Reacting on the development, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that the only thing intriguing about RCP Singh’s entry into the BJP was why it took so long.
“His heart had gone with the BJP in 2020 only. After remaining in political oblivion for a long time, the political Vibhishan (of Ramayana) has joined the BJP, which has opposed the special status demand and indirectly got cases filed against caste survey. Best wishes to the BJP for inducting a man, who could not be loyal to the party that gave him everything,” he added.
