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Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first politicians to condole Sushil Modi’s demise and praised him for playing an ‘invaluable role in the rise and success of the BJP in Bihar’.
The man behind BJP’s rise in Bihar
Sushil Modi is often credited with the saffron party’s rise in Bihar, becoming the tallest BJP leader in the state after former Bihar Finance Minister Kailashpati Mishra.
Also read: Sushil Kumar Modi passes away: PM Modi expresses grief over ‘untimely demise’; Amit Shah says that the void in Bihar politics cannot be filled.
The rise of BJP in Bihar began when it emerged as the major opposition party in 1995. Twenty-five years later, it became the second largest party in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections with 74 seats in the 243-member state assembly.
Currently, the saffron party’s strength in the Bihar Assembly is higher than that of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), which has 43 members. However, Nitish Kumar remains the Chief Minister of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of the state.
Three decade long political career
Sushil Modi entered active politics in 1990 and successfully contested the assembly elections from the now abolished Patna Central assembly seat. He was re-elected in 1995 and 2000.
In 2004, he was elected from Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat. However, in 2005, he resigned from the Lok Sabha and took up the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He was given the Finance portfolio along with other portfolios. After the NDA’s victory in the 2010 Bihar Assembly elections, Sushil remained the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
Sushil Modi-Nitish Kumar relationship
Sushil Modi played an important role in establishing BJP’s relations with Nitish Kumar in Bihar. He served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar for almost 11 years in two terms, first from November 2005 to June 2013 and then from July 2017 to December 2020. During these two terms, Sushil established strong relations with Nitish Kumar.
“This is a personal loss for me. We were together during the JP movement. His demise has created a void in the political arena of the country as well as Bihar,” Nitish said in his condolence message for his former colleague.
Also read: Senior BJP leader in Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi is no more: A profile
Sushil Modi emerged as one of the prominent faces of the JP movement in Bihar along with former chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. His association with the JP movement is where he first came in contact.
Nitish Kumar had often expressed regret at sidelining his trusted former deputy, who was shifted to Delhi along with a Rajya Sabha berth in 2020.
leader of JP movement
JP movement, also known as Bihar movement, refers to the political rebellion launched by students in 1974 against misgovernance and corruption in the government of Bihar. The movement was led by veteran socialist Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known as JP.
Condoling his demise, Lalu called Sushil “a friend of 51-52 years from our Patna University days”. “He was a committed and dedicated leader,” the RJD chief said.
Born in a Vaishya family of Bihar, Sushil Modi became involved in student politics while studying B.Sc. at Patna University. In later years, he became one of the prominent leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Petitioner in fodder scam
According to a report, after Yashwant Sinha resigned from the post of leader of the opposition in 1996, Sushil Modi took charge and single-handedly took on the RJD. Indian Express, Sushil Modi was one of the five petitioners in the fodder scam in which Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted.
Sushil Modi often took pride in being one of the litigants in the petition on which the Patna High Court ordered that the infamous fodder scam be investigated by the CBI, which later in 1997 forced Lalu Prasad to step down. Chargesheet was filed, but only to bring his wife Rabri Devi in his place.
Sushil Modi was the leader of the opposition in the Bihar Assembly until 2004, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur. However, a year later, the RJD-Congress alliance lost in the state assembly elections, and Sushil Modi returned to Bihar as deputy chief minister to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He was also made the president of Bihar unit of BJP.
In April 2024, Sushil Modi announced his inability to contest the Lok Sabha elections 2024 due to his battle with cancer.
(With PTI inputs)
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Published: May 14, 2024, 10:43 am IST
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