The Bharatiya Janata Party took a dramatic disciplinary action in the aftermath of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 and suspended senior leader and former Union Minister R.K. Singh for six years from the party. It announced this on Saturday for “severe anti-party activities.”
R.K. Singh is a former Union Home Secretary who served as Power Minister in the Narendra Modi government and had been critical of NDA leadership and law and order in Bihar. His suspension is an indication of a major post-election crackdown on internal dissent within the Bihar BJP unit.
Public Criticism And Accusations By Singh
The key reason for the suspension has been the relentless and public attacks by Singh against party functionaries and administrative organs, especially during the election campaign.
Attack on Leadership: Singh also faulted several NDA leaders for alleged corruption and factionalism. He demanded that leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, “come clean” on corruption allegations or step down.
Criminal Candidates: He controversially urged Bihar voters to reject candidates with criminal backgrounds, explicitly naming NDA allies like gangster-turned-politician Anant Singh.
Election Commission Scrutiny: The former bureaucrat publicly questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the law and order issue arising during the elections, squarely calling the violence in Mokama a failure of both administration and the poll body.
Disciplinary Sweep Targets Three Leaders
The suspension of R.K. Singh was part of the larger disciplinary action to maintain post-election coherence in the state unit.
Katihar Leaders Suspended: Along with Singh’s suspension, the Bihar BJP also suspended two other key leaders, namely MLC Ashok Kumar Agarwal and his wife, Katihar Mayor Usha Agarwal, also for “anti-party activities.”
Controversial Candidacy: Ashok Agarwal fielding his son, Saurav Agarwal, as a VIP candidate from Katihar against the party’s directives was seen as one of the primary reasons for their suspension.
Deadline Issued: Both the Agarwals have been asked to submit a formal reply to the charges within one week.
Law And Order Failures Under Scrutiny
Singh’s vocal condemnation of the law-and-order situation has amplified concerns after a deadly incident in the campaign.
Mokama Incident: R.K. Singh has sharply attacked the EC since the murder of Jan Suraaj supporter Dularchand Yadav in Mokama.
Administrative Action: Two police officers have since been suspended in connection with the incident, which critics called a symptom of “jungle raj” and a failure of governance.
