Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLC Sunil Singh’s membership has been terminated. The decision was taken during the monsoon session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. A report by the Conduct Committee, chaired by senior JD(U) member and Deputy Speaker Dr. Ramvachan Rai, recommended action against Singh, leading to the order by Speaker Awadhesh Narayan Singh to cancel his membership. Additionally, another RJD MLC, Mohammad Qari Sohaib, has been suspended for two days during the upcoming winter session.
The report stated that Sunil Singh is not fit to be an MLC. Singh was elected as an MLC on June 29, 2020, with his term set to end on June 28, 2026.
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RJD Calls the Action Illegal
RJD has called this action illegal, stating that at most, Singh should have faced censure and a discussion. The party claims that Singh was not given a chance to defend himself or present his case.
RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav, MLC Mohammad Kari Sohaib, and Dr. Ajay Kumar, during a joint press conference, accused two JD(U) leaders of orchestrating this action to enhance their standing within the party, though they did not name them.
The party labeled the action as biased, pointing out that no action was taken by the Conduct Committee when offensive language was used against leaders like Jitan Ram Manjhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Rabri Devi in the same assembly.
The Incident
The incident in question occurred on February 13 of this year during the budget session. Sunil Singh allegedly mimicked and mocked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during his thank-you speech following the Governor’s address.
A complaint was filed by a JD(U) MLC, which led to the formation of the Conduct Committee. The committee reviewed the video footage of the day’s proceedings and found that Sunil Singh and Mohammad Qari Sohaib had disrupted the session by mocking the Chief Minister and using objectionable language. Despite the Speaker’s orders to leave the well, Singh continued to create disturbances.
Singh was called by the Conduct Committee multiple times to present his side, but he only appeared once, citing responsibilities during the Lok Sabha elections as the reason for his absence.
Legal Provisions and Action
According to Article 191 of the Indian Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, membership can be canceled under specific conditions, such as holding an office of profit, being declared of unsound mind or insolvent, or being disqualified under any law made by Parliament. However, legal experts argue that none of these conditions apply to Sunil Singh.
Sunil Singh’s membership was canceled under the rules of procedure and conduct of business of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, specifically rule 290, subsection 10(g), based on the committee’s report.
RJD leader and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi termed it a murder of democracy, stating that Singh’s letter was not even received, and comparing the situation to past disruptions by BJP members without similar actions taken.
Who is Sunil Singh?
54-year-old Sunil Singh is known to be very close to Lalu Prasad Yadav and is said to have a familial relationship with the Lalu family. A long-time resident of Saran, Singh was the Chairman of Bihar’s largest cooperative society, BISCOMAUN. He was responsible for campaigning for Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya in the Saran Lok Sabha constituency during the recent elections, where she lost to BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy. However, this time Rudy’s winning margin reduced from 1,38,429 to just 13,661
In 2022, Singh’s residence was also raided by the CBI in connection with the IRCTC case against Lalu Prasad Yadav.
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