Sushil Kumar Modi, who is often credited with bringing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into prominence in Bihar, died at around 9:45 PM on Monday night after battling cancer for over six months.
Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and arguably the tallest BJP leader the state has produced, passed away Monday (May 13, 2024) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. He was 72.
The veteran leader, who is often credited with bringing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into prominence in Bihar, died at around 9:45 PM on Monday night after battling cancer for over six months, Hospital sources said, according to news agency PTI.
Who was Sushil Kumar Modi?
Born on January 5, 1952 in a middle-class family in Bihar capital Patna, Sushil Kumar Modi shall always be remembered for working towards the BJP’s rise in the state where today it shares power with Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) and is well on the way to become a more dominant force.
Sushil Modi’s name will also forever be remembered for role in exposing the infamous Fodder scam which sent former Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and many others to jail.
He was one of the litigants in the PIL on which the Patna High Court ordered a CBI probe of the infamous fodder scam, which later submitted a charge-sheet forcing Lalu Yadav to step down in 1997, but only to replace himself with wife Rabri Devi.
Modi often took pride in having been one of the litigants in the petition that exposed the massive scam which turned the political scene in Bihar on its head.
Sushil Modi Education, Early Life
Sushil Kumar Modi completed his B.Sc. Botany (Hons.) degree from the Patna Science College in 1973 with a B.Sc. Botany (Hons.) degree and had enrolled to pursue a Masters degree in the subject from the Patna University.
However, he left studies midway to join the Jai Prakash Narayan-led socialist movement during the rule of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which was tumultuous time in Indian politics. During his days working with the legendary socialist leader, Sushil came in with his future collaborator Nitish Kumar and would be adversary Lalu Prasad.
Later, Sushil Kumar Modi went on to become one of the RSS’ student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), in Bihar.
Sushil Kumar Modi Political Career
Sushil Kumar Modi formally entered electoral politics in 1990 when he contest from the now-abolished Patna Central assembly seat. Modi often credited his entry into politics to late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who asked him to quit student politics and join mainstream politics.
As per an anecdote Sushil Modi often shared, it was at his marriage ceremony in 1986 that the former prime minister, who at that time headed the BJP, told him that it was time to give up student politics and become a “full time political activist”.
Resident of the former Patna Central assembly fondly remember Sushil Modi as an unassuming figure who rode a scooter, yet possessed a steely resolve which is evidenced by his tireless activism against alleged corruption in the Lalu Yadav government.
Due his tireless activism, BJP gained ground in Bihar and Modi earned his spurs as a doughty leader of the opposition in the assembly, a post he held till 2004 when he got elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur.
A year later, however, the RJD-Congress combine was routed in the 2005 state assembly polls and Modi was back in Bihar, as the deputy to JD (U) de facto leader Nitish Kumar, who became the chief minister.
It was during this crucial juncture that the party also entrusted him with the state president’s post and Modi handled the twin responsibilities with a dexterity that won him many admirers.
Bonhomie with Nitish Kumar
Sushil Modi occupied the deputy CM’s post until Kumar’s first break up with BJP in 2013, and was back four years later when the JD (U) supremo realigned with the NDA.
The rapport between Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi has been the stuff of legend in Bihar politics. The JD (U) leader has often expressed regret over the sidelining of his trusted former deputy, who was stripped of the post after the 2020 assembly polls and shifted to Delhi with a Rajya Sabha berth.
Hardliners in the BJP blamed his “soft” stance towards Kumar for the BJP’s inability to gain the upper hand “despite diminution in the chief minister’s popularity”. However, few doubt his role in scripting the state’s economic turnaround, having held the crucial finance portfolio for more than a decade.
Sushil Kumar Modi family
Sushil Kumar Modi married Jessie George, a Keralite Christian from Mumbai, on August 13, 1986. Sushil and Jessie were reportedly classmates and fell for each other during that period. She is a college professor. The couple have two sons– Utkarsh Tathagata and Akshay Amritanshu.
(With inputs from agencies)
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