PATNA: Former Janata Dal-United (JDU) leader Ramchandra Prasad Singh, popularly known as RCP Singh, made a significant move by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday. RCP Singh, who was a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers, officially joined the BJP at a ceremony held at the party headquarters in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, party general secretary Arun Singh, and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni.
Expressing his pride on joining the BJP, RCP Singh took a dig at his former party leader, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He highlighted the economic progress of India under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership and questioned Nitish Kumar’s claims about lack of development in the country. RCP Singh also criticized Nitish Kumar’s attempts to unite the opposition without a clear leader and quipped about his ambitions to become the Prime Minister.
#WATCH नीतीश कुमार को सब PM कहते हैं। मैंने भी उन्हें कहा कि आप PM थे, PM हैं और PM रहेंगे। पीएम मतलब पल्टीमार। उन्होंने कितनी बार विश्वासघात किया है: भाजपा नेता आर.सी.पी. सिंह, दिल्ली pic.twitter.com/iz7SslfGG5
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) May 11, 2023
“Nitish Babu wants to become the PM. He is the PM, but what? ‘P’ means turned and ‘M’ means earned,” RCP Singh remarked, drawing attention to Nitish Kumar’s shifting political alliances. Referring to Nitish Kumar’s recent alignment with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), RCP Singh stated, “Nitish Kumar says that now he is in RJD’s lap for life. If I were to join, what other option did I have? That’s why I have joined the BJP.”
RCP Singh’s decision to join the BJP comes after his resignation from the JDU in August last year. His proximity to the BJP led to JDU not renominating him for Rajya Sabha and subsequently losing his position as a Union Minister. Speculations regarding his affiliation with the BJP have been circulating since his departure from the JDU. RCP Singh hails from the Kurmi community, a support base traditionally associated with Nitish Kumar due to his own Kurmi background.
#WATCH | Delhi: …"Nitish Kumar loves words starting with 'C'. Word 'Chair' also starts with 'C' & he is doing everything nowadays for chair…": Former JD(U) leader RCP Singh, soon after joining BJP pic.twitter.com/qkaWIqJQIk
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2023
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been actively pursuing “opposition unity” at the national level ahead of the 2024 general elections, aiming to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party’s dominance. Recently, Nitish Kumar held a meeting with the Chief Minister of Jharkhand as part of his efforts to foster a united front among opposition parties. Following the meeting, Nitish Kumar emphasized the need for unity to counter attempts that could potentially alter the course of the country’s history.
RCP Singh’s move to the BJP adds an interesting dimension to the political landscape in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar’s JDU and the BJP were erstwhile allies. As the political dynamics continue to evolve, the battle for supremacy in Bihar and the broader national political arena is expected to intensify in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.