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Journalism of Courage
Upset with the BJP for not giving him any key responsibility since he joined the party just over a year ago, former Union Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, better known as R C P Singh, is likely to float his party.
A former second-in-command of Nitish Kumar, Singh quit the Janata Dal (United) in 2022 after falling out with the Bihar Chief Minister. The following year, he joined the BJP, taking potshots at Kumar whom he accused of “compromising with crime and corruption” in his pursuit of “kursi (chair)”, calling the JD(U) supremo a “paltimaar (one who makes frequent U-turns)”, and warning that he would be left with “nothing” in Bihar. However, with Kumar’s return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in January, Singh was more isolated in the BJP.
“Some people were saying that I am not seen anywhere. But I have been very much active, talking to my supporters who have been pressurising me to float our party,” Singh said recently, adding that he had not sought the renewal of his BJP membership during the party’s ongoing membership drive. He also said he would call a press conference soon to announce his decision. Last week, the former Union Minister’s supporters put up posters across Patna that said, “Tiger abhi zinda hai” and “Tiger returns”.
Singh said his party would contest the Bihar Assembly elections next year, adding he was not looking to hurt any party. He refrained from criticising either senior BJP leaders or Nitish Kumar, his former mentor. “I have not met him since mid-2022. I won’t blame any person for what happened in past,” said the former Union Minister.
“Our party gave R C P Singh due respect. One is free to pursue one’s political goals,” said BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan.
JD(U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said Singh was praising Nitish because he “feels politically alienated”. He added, “Singh has lost his political credibility and there is no question of his return to the JD(U). In the recent past, he praised Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Prashant Kishor as well. It only shows his political desperation.”
An Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer, Singh had first come in contact with Nitish when he was posted as private secretary to then Union minister Beni Prasad Verma in 1996. Nitish and Singh are said to have bonded over the fact that both come from Nalanda district in Bihar and are Kurmi (as was Verma). Nitish is also said to have been impressed with Singh’s acumen as a bureaucrat.
When Nitish became Railway Minister, Singh became his special secretary, later following the JD(U) leader through his various portfolios. After Nitish became CM in November 2005, Singh moved to Bihar. He came to play a key role in postings, and as Nitish’s principal secretary, was seen as the CM’s voice. Soon, his influence extended to the JD(U).
In 2010, Singh took voluntary retirement and the JD(U) nominated him to the Rajya Sabha. He was renominated in 2016.
The differences between the two started around the time the Cabinet of the second Narendra Modi government was formed. Nitish reportedly wanted berths for Singh as well as his other long-time lieutenant, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh. When that didn’t come through, the JD(U) stayed out. In the 2021 Cabinet expansion, Singh, believe surprisingly found himself appointed Union Steel Minister. He reportedly forwarded his name without Nitish’s consent, causing irreparable damage to their relationship.
Singh’s space in the NDA in Bihar shrunk not only because of Nitish but also due to another former JD(U) leader who had antagonised the Bihar CM, Upendra Kushwaha. The Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader who joined the ruling alliance last year is also from an Other Backward Class (OBC) community. The BJP believed that with Nitish and Kushwaha part of the NDA and it too having a Kushwaha face in its rank in Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, its Luv-Kush (Kurmi-Koeri) constituency was intact. Moreover, Singh has always been a Rajya Sabha member and has not proved its electoral strength by contesting general elections, either for the Lok Sabha or the Assembly.
