His own party levels graft charge, stung RCP Singh quits JD(U)

In a letter to Singh, JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Kushwaha sought a reply to an allegation — made by two unnamed JD(U) “workers” — that he bought at least 47 plots in Nalanda between 2013 and 2022.

Over this time, Singh held several different positions: JD(U) general secretary (organisation), Rajya Sabha MP, JD(U) national president and Union minister.

In his 2016 election affidavit, Singh showed one shared immoveable asset worth Rs 4.86 lakh (his share) at Asthawan village. He had declared moveable assets worth around Rs 2.53 crore and over Rs 15 lakh in his wife’s name.

Singh recently stepped down as a Union minister after JD(U) declined to field him for a third Rajya Sabha term. His relationship with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar soured after he accepted a ministerial position at the Centre without the CM’s consent.

In the August 4 letter, Kushwaha presented a list of 58 land deals (eleven of which were unconfirmed) showing how Singh allegedly purchased 47 plots (totalling 1,600 decimals of land) in the name of his wife Girja Singh and two daughters at Asthawan and Islampur blocks of Nalanda.

The estimated government rate of one decimal land varied from Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 at the time of purchase. The current value of land in Asthawan and Islampur varies from Rs 25,000 to Rs 90,000 per decimal.

Kushwaha had earlier written a confidential letter to JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh on 26 July with a full list of land purchases, it is learnt.

Addressing the former Union minister, Kushwaha wrote in Hindi: “Two JD(U) friends from Nalanda have made a written complaint to me with evidence that you have accumulated huge property between 2013 and 2022. There seem to be huge irregularities.”

Kushwaha added: “Our leader Nitish Kumar reposed faith in you and gave you the key position of party’s national president, sent you to Rajya Sabha twice and you also served as Union minister. You also know the fact that the long political career of Nitish Kumar has been unblemished and he has not accumulated any property for himself. The party expects you to give a point-wise reply to the complaint against you.”

Singh told reporters in Nalanda: “They should have directly asked me to explain (the land plot purchases) rather than writing to me, quoting two people… There is a conspiracy against me. I am resigning right now from primary membership of the party. JD(U) is a sinking ship. Sirf jhola dhonewale log bache hai. Mai kahta hoon idhar aa jao (only hangers-on are left. I advise people to join me).”

Singh did not explain why he did not declare his land purchases in his 2016 affidavit. He also did not elaborate on land purchased in the name of his wife and daughters.

In his previous letter to Rajiv Ranjan, Kushwaha said that RCP Singh, whose wife is shown as Girja Singh in his 2016 Rajya Sabha election affidavit, was mentioned as Girja Devi in land transactions. He also flagged that Singh’s two daughters chose to write the name of their mother and not father while carrying out land deals.

Documents with JD(U) claimed that a total of 1,600 decimals of land were purchased by Singh for his family members. According to the party:

-Girja purchased 180 decimals of land (11 plots) in Asthawan between 2014 and 2015. In 2017, she bought another 62.5-decimal plot at Asthawan.

-Between 2017 and 2022, one of his daughters purchased 22 plots totalling 340 decimals of land. In Islampur, 750 decimals of land (12 plots) were purchased in the name of the second daughter between 2014 and 2016.

-Additionally, 147 decimals of land were bought in 2013 and 124 decimals were purchased in the name of a daughter in 2014. Another plot was purchased in the name of Girja, but plot area and year of purchase is unclear.

Demanding stern action against Singh, Kushwaha wrote to Kushwaha wrote to Rajiv Ranjan: “Accumulation of property by RCP Singh who held top posotions in the party is a crime and sullies the image of the party… We have so far only exposed his property at Nalanda. The list could be longer.”

One of his daughters, Lipi Singh, who is the Saharsa SP, did not respond to a WhatsApp text seeking comment.

Kanhaiya Singh, an aide of Singh, said: “All these plots are agricultural land in Nalanda and not ones in Delhi and Mumbai.”

Nalanda DM Shashank Shubankar told The Indian Express: “We have not yet received any complaint on land purchases by RCP Singh. As of now, we have no knowledge about it.”

A former Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer, Singh had taken VRS in 2010 to join politics. He had served as the principal secretary to Nitish during his first five years as chief minister and rose rapidly within the party ranks.