Bihar agriculture minister Sudhakar Singh resigns

PATNA: Bihar agriculture minister Sudhakar Singh who recently raised the issue of large-scale corruption in his department resigned from his post on Sunday following "differences" with the government.
Singh, a lawmaker from Lalu Party’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), sent in his resignation to deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav who is yet to decide over his resignation.
“The agriculture minister had been raising the farmers’ issue for a long time but he must know that those who follow this path also have to make sacrifices,” said state RJD president Jagadanand Singh who also happens to be his father.
State party chief said the agriculture minister tendered his resignation so that the government could function “smoothly”.
The agriculture minister had been in the eye of storms after he repeatedly raised the issue of corruption in his department and went on to state that there are many thieves in his department and he is their “chieftain”.
The minister even advised the villagers to beat with shoes the corrupt agriculture department officials who seek bribes. Such remarks had earned much embarrassment to the government and the chief minister Nitish Kumar was not said to be happy with that.
He is the second minister to quit the Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance government since it came to power on August 10.
Earlier on September 01, law minister Kartik Kumar had resigned over his alleged involvement in a kidnapping case. Kumar too belonged to the RJD.