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Journalism of Courage
Former Union minister and senior BJP leader RK Singh resigned from the party on Saturday hours after he was suspended for “anti-party activities.” His exit came a day after the NDA swept the Bihar assembly elections and amid Singh’s growing rift with the party leadership.
Singh said the BJP’s suspension letter “does not specify the anti party activities of which I have been accused. I cannot give a showcase against charges which have not been specified.”
A former MP from Arrah, Singh had openly criticised both the BJP and the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar for months. His allegations of a scam in the commissioning of a power plant—raised days before the state went to polls—triggered a political storm and deepened tensions within the alliance.
In its suspension notice issued Saturday morning, the BJP accused him of serious indiscipline: “You are indulging in anti-party activities… This has caused harm to the party. Therefore, you are being suspended and asked to explain why you should not be expelled.” The party asked him to submit a reply within one week.
Hours later, Singh said he has submitted his resignation to BJP national president JP Nadda. “I have sent my resignation to the party. The letter sent by me to the state office and the resignation sent to the honourable national president of the BJP are attached,” he wrote on X.
In his resignation letter, Singh argued that his comments did not amount to anti-party activity. “The show cause is probably because of my statement against the distribution of tickets to people with a criminal background. The statement is not anti-party. It is in the interest of the nation, the society at large and the party to stop criminalisation of politics and to curb corruption,” he wrote, adding that “some people in the party are not comfortable with this”.
In a Facebook post in October, Singh had urged voters to not support leaders with criminal records
Singh, a 1975-batch IAS officer from the Bihar cadre, previously served as home secretary under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and later as secretary in the Department of Defence Production. After retiring in 2013, he joined the BJP and went on to win the Arrah Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019.
He held significant portfolios in the Modi government, and was the Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy. He was previously the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
| 7 July 2021 - 9 June 2024 |
Union Cabinet Minister
Ministry of Power; Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
|
| 30 May 2019 - 7 July 2021 |
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Ministry of Power; Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
|
| May 2019 |
Re-elected to 17th Lok Sabha
2nd term
|
| 3 Sept 2017 - 25 May 2019 |
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Ministry of Power; Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
|
| 19 Oct 2016 - 3 Sept 2017 |
Member, Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice; Member, India China Parliamentary Friendship Group; Member, IPU Standing Committee on International Peace and Security
|
| 1 May 2015 - 7 June 2018 |
Member, Joint Committee on Security in Parliament House Complex; Member, National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
|
| 15 Sept 2014 - 25 May 2019 |
Member, Committee on Violation of Protocol Norms; Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Defence; Member, Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare
|
| 1 Sept 2014 onwards |
Member, Committee of Privileges
|
| May 2014 |
Elected to 16th Lok Sabha
1st term
|
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