Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) Sunday introduced its candidates from Bihar for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, however Sushil Kumar Modi’s title was lacking from the listing. As soon as the poster boy of the social gathering, he wielded vital affect over the BJP in Bihar for over three many years.
“The only rehabilitation I see for him now is being made governor in the future,” mentioned a senior BJP chief to ThePrint on situation of anonymity after the central management introduced former minister Bhim Singh and state BJP Mahila Morcha president Dharamshila Gupta as Rajya Sabha nominees.
Talking to ThePrint Sunday, Sushil Modi mentioned, “I would like to thank the party for the confidence they have shown in me. Over the past 33 years, I have been a member of the assembly, state legislative council, Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. I have been made the leader of the opposition, the state party president and deputy chief minister thrice.”
He additionally congratulated the 2 BJP nominees and added that he would proceed to serve the social gathering.
In line with social gathering insiders, Sushil Modi doesn’t match the sport plan of the “new BJP” anymore, which dominates over its allies.
“Sushil has guided the party since 1996, when he became the face of the BJP as the leader of the opposition, but the impression among the central leaders is that he is too submissive to Nitish Kumar and also that he did not allow backward caste leaders to emerge within the party while he was in-charge. Other senior backward caste leaders like Nand Kishore Yadav and Prem Kumar had to play second fiddle,” mentioned a senior BJP chief on situation of anonymity.
Sushil Modi served because the deputy to JD(U) chief and CM Nitish Kumar for about 11 years and the 2 are identified to get pleasure from nice rapport.
“The late Arun Jaitley was Sushil’s last mentor, around the time the Vajpayee-Advani era ended in the BJP. Once Jaitley was gone, he had no mentors in the central party leadership,” mentioned the senior chief.
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Sushil Modi’s relationship with Nitish
If Nitish felt extra comfy with Sushil Kumar Modi, it’s as a result of they’ve historical past.
In 2005, when JD(U) and BJP had received the meeting elections, BJP chief Murli Manohar declared Nitish Kumar because the CM and Sushil Modi as his deputy. “The two are like a Ram-Lakshman jodi (pair) and will take Bihar into a new era of development,” Joshi reportedly mentioned.
When Nitish snapped ties with the BJP in 2022 to affix the Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, the Congress and Left events, he made a public assertion declaring that had Sushil been the deputy CM, the scenario wouldn’t have arisen.
The present BJP management is in no temper to permit this outdated friendship to resurface within the state’s politics. In 2013, when Nitish had first snapped ties with the BJP, there have been speculations that Sushil could cross over and be part of the JD(U), however the BJP chief had put the speculations to relaxation, reportedly saying, “There should be no doubt where I will be. I want the party flag over my body when I die.”
‘Mukadme baji Modi’
As the final secretary of the Patna College’s college students’ union and later because the state basic secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (the scholars wing of the RSS) within the Seventies, he emerged as one of many central youth leaders of the JP motion, led by veteran socialist chief Jayaprakash Narayan.
He went on to grow to be one of many fiercest critics of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the course of the Nineties. Serving because the Patna Central MLA thrice, he ascended to the place of Chief of the Opposition in 1996. It was from this platform that he spearheaded a relentless marketing campaign towards Lalu, who, on the time, appeared invincible. Sushil Modi went after Lalu over the fodder rip-off he was embroiled in. He was even a petitioner within the fodder rip-off case, prompting a CBI investigation that resulted in Lalu’s conviction.
He took on Lalu and his household once more over the alleged land-for-job rip-off and the IRCTC tender rip-off, each of that are at present underneath CBI probe.
A annoyed Lalu had as soon as dubbed him “mukadme baji Modi” (litigious Modi).
Now, as an alternative of nominating the outstanding chief, the BJP has nominated two comparatively unknown names.
Bhim Singh, who belongs to the extraordinarily backward class (EBC), has performed a pivotal position as one of many unique members of the Samata Social gathering (co-founded by Nitish) again in 1994. Afterward, he switched his allegiance to Lalu’s RJD and served as an MLC. Later, he realigned himself with Nitish Kumar’s camp, assuming ministerial obligations. Regardless of his nine-year tenure within the BJP, Singh has but to obtain any vital assignments.
The opposite nominee from the social gathering, Dharamshila Gupta, has a background within the RSS.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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