BJP’s Sushil Modi seeks removal of Bihar agri minister Sudhakar Singh over 2013 rice scam

The former deputy CM said that Sudhakar was accused of siphoning ₹5.31 crore of the exchequer, adding that he was sent to jail and his plea for quashing the first information report (FIR) was also rejected.

PATNA: Former deputy CM and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday levelled serious allegations against agriculture minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Sudhakar Singh and sought his removal from the government over what he described as the 2013 rice scam.

BJP MP and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi addresses a press conference in Patna on Sunday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

He said that Sudhakar was accused of siphoning ₹5.31 crore of the exchequer, adding that he was sent to jail and his plea for quashing the first information report (FIR) was also rejected. “He was granted bail only after depositing ₹60 lakh as per court order,” he said.

The former deputy CM said that the matter before the court was only regarding the mode of recovery of money, which was challenged, and after the HC ruled in the state government’s favour, Sudhakar Singh and others moved the Supreme Court, which stayed the order.

“But the dues still remain and Sudhakar Singh has to pay them. There was no relief from the apex court on payment of dues, as the dispute was only over the mode of recovery. Now, with interest, the money Sudhakar Singh owes has crossed ₹12 crore. I seek answers to my queries from both the agriculture minister and chief minister,” Modi said.

He also asked if chief minister Nitish Kumar, who always maintained that he had zero tolerance towards corruption, would tweak the policy (under which rice was procured from mills by the SFC) for a waiver to his agriculture minister under the influence of RJD state chief Jagtanand Singh, who happens to be the father of Sudhakar Singh.

“The minister says that the policy was wrong then, which means he would now try to get the policy changed after almost a decade and the government will lose money. The matter is also related to the cooperative department, which is headed by RJD leader Surendra Yadav. Will the CM be ready for this? Does it mean that the policies of the Nitish government were wrong, and he would now accept it under pressure to tweak it almost a decade later,” he asked.

The case the former deputy CM is referring to relates to two rice mills - Sone Valley Rice Mill and Sudhakar Rice Mill - of Sudhakar Singh, which owed the government ₹5.31 since 2013. The state food corporation (SFC) had also got an FIR lodged with the Ramgarh police station in this connection. Later, a certificate was also lodged in the case against him.

Soon after Sudhakar Singh faced questions on allegations against him, the minister said that such things did happen to those in public life. “But one should get the facts right. The matter Sushil Modi is referring to happened during the NDA government and he should have acted against it then. The documents speak for themselves and if anyone wants to sit with me, I will elaborate. We have formed the government at a time when the state is grappling with the twin scourge of flood and drought and we are busy with that,” he added.