Bihar's 'absconding' minister resigns

Patna, May 19: Under pressure from Opposition parties, Bihar Cooperative Minister and BJP leader Ramadhar Singh, declared an absconder by a court 16 years ago, resigned from the Nitish Kumar Cabinet.

Singh sent his resignation to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar late last night, officials at the CM's office said on Thursday, May 19.

Singh told PTI on Thursday, May 19, that the allegation against him of being an absconder since 1995 was true.

"Therefore, I decided to put in my papers. I was not aware of a court declaring me as an absconder in this case," he said.

"If I was aware, I would have approached the court for bail. Even my lawyers did not inform me about this," he claimed.

"After coming to know about being declared as an absconder in this case, my first duty was to resign before taking legal remedy," he added.

Singh's move comes after the Opposition RJD demanded that he be dropped from the cabinet.

A RJD delegation led by state party chief Ramchandra Purve and Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Abdul Bari Siddiqui had yesterday called on Governor Devanand Konwar seeking Singh's immediate dismissal.

The RJD delegation alleged that a case had been registered against Singh over a communal speech he made in Aurangabad district in 1992.

"Singh was declared an absconder by a court in May 1995 after he repeatedly failed to appear before it in connection with the case," they had said.

They further alleged that Singh had concealed the cases against him in the affidavit while filing nomination from the Aurangabad assembly seat in 2010 polls that he won on a BJP ticket.

PTI