JD(U) Infighting: Party Questions Ex-Minister RCP Singh On Properties Acquired, Singh Calls It Attempt At Humiliation

Following months of tussle between Janata Dal (United) leadership and senior party leader and former Union minister RCP Singh, the JD(U) has now asked Singh to answer a set of questions on the properties he and his family have allegedly acquired over the past decade.

While the JD(U) claimed irregularities were found in the properties' acquisition, Singh told NDTV that the exercise was an attempt to humiliate him.

Notably, the JD(U)'s inquiry into Singh's properties comes a week after Singh's supporters raised slogans projecting him as the future chief minister.

The current confrontation between JD(U) and Singh is the latest episode in the tussle between the two, which has seen the party denying Singh the Rajya Sabha ticket, leading to him to tender his resignation as a Union minister. 

JD(U) leaders have collated details of properties owned by Singh and his family in a 35-page report and have questioned the leader on it, according to Dainik Bhaskar. They claim Singh's conduct is in violation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's 'zero tolerance' policy on corruption. 

Nav Bharat Times has reported that the list made by JD(U) includes 20 properties in Bihar's Nalanda district. These properties are in the names of Singh's wife Girija Singh and daughters Lata and Lipi singh. 

In his defence, Singh told NTDV, "These properties were bought by my wife or daughters who are income tax payers since 2010."

Dainik Bhaskar has further reported that it's alleged that Singh has not disclosed any of these properties in his election affidavits filed earlier.

The tussle between Nitish Kumar, RCP Singh

There has been unease within the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) regarding RCP Singh over his conduct and a series of incidents. 

For instance, Singh earlier this month said that he became a Union minister with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he rose in JD(U) with his sheer hard work. JD(U) leadership was quick to train its gun on Singh and remind him that it was JD(U) that had sent him to Rajya Sabha twice and made him party secretary and chief in the past.

Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary said Singh's rise in JD(U) was due to the "mercy or blessings" of Nitish. 

"He was made the Rajya Sabha member twice . It was all due to Nitish Kumar," said Choudhary. 

Then there were videos of supporters hailing Singh as the future chief minister, to which the party leadership also reacted angrily. PTI at the time reported that JD(U) National General Secretary and Nitish's close aide Sanjay Kumar Jha warned that those raising such slogans would be deemed as outsiders.

Jha said, "Nitish Kumar is the undisputed leader of the party. Those who raise such slogans will not be considered as members of the party."

RCP Singh's fall from grace in JD(U)

RCP Singh was once believed to be a confidante of Nitish Kumar, who fell from grace because of his acceptance of a cabinet berth at the Centre without the consent of Nitish's consent who has been opposed to Bharatiya Jatanta Party's (BJP) offer of "token representation" to allies, according to PTI.

Deccan Herald explains: "Despite the BJP-led NDA's landslide win in the 2019 general election, the JDU was out of the union council of ministers as the party demanded berths proportionate to its MPs. Still, the BJP was amenable to giving only one ministry."

When Singh accepted the cabinet post without consulting Nitish, he got very upset and sacked Singh from the post of party president, added the report. 

The denial of Rajya Sabha ticket, leading to the loss of cabinet berth, was the final blow from Nitish to Singh.

"Finally, Nitish Kumar has diminished RCP Singh to a political leader without any post and power," reported Deccan Herald.

The tussle between BJP, JD(U)

While the BJP and JD(U) are partners in the Union and Bihar governments, everything has not been smooth between the two partners. Observers have also called it an "unhappy marriage" borne out of mutual need.

The Print reported in January that the JD(U) has faced protests from partner BJP and BJP has also been quite on several issues raised by JD(U) for political reasons, as the fallout of the two would be the third break-up with one of the oldest allies, with the other two being Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The BJP does not want it.

It further reported, "Besides, going into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party will need to have a strong regional ally like Nitish Kumar. This is the reason why it has officially maintained silence on issues like excise policy, liquor tragedies, caste census, and 'award wapsi'."

The Times of India also reported that JD(U) and BJP will likely stick together because of political requirements.

"If Nitish agrees not to be the CM face in the next election, he cannot project any other JD(U) leader in alliance with BJP. In case, JD(U) goes with RJD, the party will split and many may prefer BJP to RJD. So, the alliance is in the interest of both JD(U) and BJP, despite political differences, they say," reported ToI, citing political analysts.