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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Madan Kumar | TNN

Sushil Modi seeks removal of Bihar's agri minister Sudhakar Singh from cabinet for his involvement in rice scam

PATNA: Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday sought removal of Bihar’s new agricultural minister Sudhakar Singh from the state cabinet for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore rice scam.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP office in Patna, Modi said Sudhakar, son of the RJD state president and former Bihar minister Jagdanand Singh, is accused of siphoning off Rs 5.31 crore in the rice scam.

Modi said two FIRs were registered against Sudhakar in 2013 by an officer of the State Food Corporation (SFC) on the charges of siphoning off milled rice worth Rs 5.31 crore. Sudhakar owns two rice mills namely Sone Valley Rice Mill and Sudhakar Rice Mill in his home district Kaimur.

The SFC, as part of the state government’s policy decision, had earlier provided lakhs of tonnes of paddy to different rice mill owners to convert them into rice. But many of the rice mill owners including Sudhakar didn’t return the actual quantity of rice they were supposed to return to the SFC leading to the much-publicised rice scam worth over Rs 300 crore across the state.

Modi further said as per one of the FIRs registered with Ramgarh police station in Kaimur district, Sudhakar is accused of siphoning off milled rice worth Rs 5.31 crore of the SFC. He was also sent to jail in connection with the case registered with Ramgarh police station. "When Sudhakar approached the Patna high court for bail, he was asked to deposit Rs 60 lakh. The high court granted him bail only after he deposited Rs 60 lakh," the BJP leader said.

Modi, who was the deputy chief minister in the previous successive NDA government in the state, also pointed out that Sudhakar is still supposed to pay Rs 12 crore, Rs 5.31 crore principal amount with 12-year interest on it -- to the SFC.

"How can CM Nitish Kumar keep such ministers in his cabinet? Is it appropriate to keep a man who has not returned Rs 12 crore of the state government, in the cabinet?" Modi asked the CM, demanding immediate removal of Sudhakar from the council of ministers.

Interestingly, Sudhakar was earlier in the BJP and he had unsuccessfully contested the 2010 assembly polls from Ramgarh constituency on the saffron party’s symbol against the RJD’s official nominee Ambika Prasad Yadav. Then, Sudhakar’s father Jagdanand had campaigned against his son and ensured the victory of his RJD candidate Ambika Yadav from Ramgarh seat.

Though Sudhakar could not be reached for his comments, his party RJD claimed that the charges levelled by Modi were baseless. “Since Modi has been side-lined in his own party, he is making all possible efforts to make his presence felt in political circles by levelling such allegations against the RJD ministers,” RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary told TOI over phone.

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