Sushil Kumar Modi (5 January 1952 – 13 May 2024) was an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party who was a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He was a Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar as well as the Finance Minister of Bihar from 2005 to 2013 and 2017 to 2020.[1][2] He was a lifelong member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was appointed the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers for the Implementation of Goods and Service Tax in July 2011.[3]
Sushil Kumar Modi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Modi in 2015 | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 7 December 2020 – 2 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Succeeded by | Dharamsheila Gupta |
| Constituency | Bihar |
| 4th Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar | |
| In office 27 July 2017 – 16 November 2020 | |
| Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by | Tejashwi Yadav |
| Succeeded by | Renu Devi, Tarkishore Prasad |
| In office 24 November 2005 – 16 June 2013 | |
| Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by | Ram Jaipal Singh Yadav |
| Succeeded by | Tejashwi Yadav |
| Minister of Finance Government of Bihar | |
| In office 27 July 2017 – 16 November 2020 | |
| Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by | Abdul Bari Siddiqui |
| Succeeded by | Tarkishore Prasad |
| In office 24 November 2005 – 16 June 2013 | |
| Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by | Rabri Devi |
| Succeeded by | Nitish Kumar |
| Leader of the Opposition Bihar Legislative Council | |
| In office 19 June 2013 – 27 July 2017 | |
| Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by | Ghulam Ghaus |
| Succeeded by | Rabri Devi |
| Member of Bihar Legislative Council | |
| In office 7 May 2006 – 11 December 2020 | |
| Succeeded by | Shahnawaz Hussain |
| Constituency | elected by the Members of Legislative Assembly |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 2004–2005 | |
| Preceded by | Subodh Ray |
| Succeeded by | Syed Shahnawaz Hussain |
| Constituency | Bhagalpur |
| Leader of the Opposition Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 19 March 1996 – 28 March 2004 | |
| Chief Minister | Lalu Prasad Yadav Rabri Devi |
| Preceded by | Yashwant Sinha |
| Succeeded by | Upendra Kushwaha |
| Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1990–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Aquil Haider |
| Succeeded by | Arun Kumar Sinha |
| Constituency | Patna Central |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 January 1952 Patna, Bihar, India |
| Died | 13 May 2024 (aged 72) Patna, Bihar, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse |
Jessie George (m. 1986) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Patna, Bihar, India |
| Alma mater | Patna University |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
editSushil Modi was born on 5 January 1952. He was born to Moti Lal Modi and Ratna Devi.[4] He attended Patna Science College and graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) Botany degree in 1973. He enrolled in the M.Sc. Botany Course at Patna University but left the course midway to join the social movement started by Jai Prakash Narayan.[5]
Modi married Jessie George on 13 August 1986, a Christian Keralite hailing from Mumbai.[6][7][8][9] Modi and Jessy were classmates during their research studies. During this time, they fell in love and decided to get married.
His wife was a college professor, with whom he had two sons, Utkarsh Tathagat and Akshay Amritanshu.[10][11]
Early political career
editSushil Modi's political career started as a student activist at Patna University. He became the General-Secretary of Patna University Students' Union in 1973, Lalu Prasad Yadav who later came to be his biggest political rival was the President of the Union at the time. In 1974, he became a Member of Bihar Pradesh Chaatra (Student) Sangharsh Samiti which spearheaded the famous Bihar Student's Movement of 1974.[12][13] Modi was arrested five times during JP Movement and the Emergency. He was arrested during the 1974 student movement in Bihar. He challenged the constitutional validity of MISA Act in the Supreme Court of India which resulted in section 9 of the MISA Act being struck down as unconstitutional. He was booked under the MISA and various other acts from 1973 to 1977. During The Emergency, he was arrested on 30 June 1975 and remained in Jail for 19 months continuously.
Modi was appointed the State Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad after the Emergency. From 1977 to 1986, he held various leadership positions in the ABVP. During his tenure at ABVP he led a movement against the declaration of Urdu as the second language of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Concerned about the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh in the bordering districts of Bihar he raised the issue and after Assam Movement, a movement against illegal migration was launched in Bihar under his leadership.
Political career
edit
In 1990, he joined active politics and successfully contested from Patna Central Assembly (now known as Kumhrar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)).[14] He was re-elected in 1995 and 2000. In 1990, he was made the Chief Whip of the BJP Bihar Legislature Party. From 1996 until 2004 he was the Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly. He filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Patna High Court against Lalu Prasad Yadav, which was later known as the Fodder Scam. He became a member of Lok Sabha in 2004 representing the constituency of Bhagalpur.
Modi was the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in a short-lived Nitish Kumar government in 2000. He supported the formation of the State of Jharkhand.
In 2005 Bihar election, NDA came to power and Modi was elected the leader of Bihar BJP Legislature Party. He subsequently resigned from the Lok Sabha and took over as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. He was given the Finance Portfolio along with a number of other departments. After NDA victory in 2010 Bihar elections, he continued to be the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. Modi did not contest the 2005 and 2010 Bihar Assembly elections to be able to campaign for BJP.[15]
In 2017, Sushil Modi was the main player behind the fall of the JDU-RJD Grand Alliance government in Bihar, with his continuous tirade against RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family for four months over his alleged benami properties and irregular financial transactions.[16]
Sushil Kumar Modi was Nitish Kumar’s deputy Chief Minister for 11 years and the duo was often referred to as Ram-Laxman ki jodi in the political circles of Bihar.[17][18]
On 8 December 2020, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar to fill the vacant seat after Ram Vilas Paswan's death. He became one of the few Indian leaders to have been a member of both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha — both houses of the legislature.[19]
Political views
editModi was opposed to efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in India, describing supporters as "left-liberals” who want to “imitate the West and impose such laws" on the Indian public.[20] Modi argued that legalizing same-sex marriage in India would "cause complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country".[21]
Illness and death
editOn 3 April 2024, Modi revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer six months previously, and would not take part in the BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign for the 2024 general election. He died after a prolonged battle with cancer on 13 May 2024, at the age of 72.[22][23] During the Lok Sabha elections, he had revealed his illness on social media[24] .According to Narendra Modi "He has played an invaluable role in the rise and success of BJP in Bihar".[23]
Positions held
edit_for_GST_Implementation,_in_New_Delhi.jpg)
| Period | Positions |
|---|---|
| 1973–1977 | General Secretary, Patna University Students Union |
| 1983–1986 | All India General Secretary, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad |
| 1995–1996 | Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 1990–2004 | Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly from Patna Central |
| 1996–2004 | Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly |
| 2000 | Minister of Parliamentary Affairs |
| 2004–2005 | Member of Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur |
| 2006–2020 | Member of Bihar Legislative Council |
| 2005–2013 | Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar & Finance Minister of Bihar[25] |
| 2013–2017 | Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council |
| 2017–2020 | Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar & Finance Minister of Bihar |
| 2020–2024 | Member, Rajya Sabha |
See also
edit- List of finance ministers of Bihar
- List of deputy chief ministers of Bihar
- List of politicians from Bihar
References
edit- ^ "Sushil Kumar Modi passes away at 72: All you need to know about the veteran Bihar leader". The Times of India. 13 May 2024. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "Bihar elections: Sushil Modi tops BJP's list of CM probables". Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
- ^ "Sushil Modi elected new chief of Empowered Committee on GST". The Hindu. 19 July 2011. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Upper castes, OBCs, Dalits and BJP". 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ "Sushil Kumar Modi(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):(BIHAR) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "No 'band, baaja, baaraat' for SuMo son's wedding". The Times of India. 19 November 2017. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ "Political way to nurture love". Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ "When Atal Bihari Vajpayee 'refused' to bless Sushil Kumar Modi". The Times of India. 18 August 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Jacob, George (13 October 2017). "Sushil Kumar Modi has a family foothold here". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Cool leaders see off 2012 with relatives Most ministers retire to bed before midnight, Bhim Singh stays up late". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ "ईसाई धर्म से हैं सुशील मोदी की पत्नी, शादी के दिन ऐसे बदली थी किस्मत". 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ Official Website Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi "Profile of Shri Sushil Kumar Modi". Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2011. Early Years in Public Life
- ^ Profile of Deputy Chief Minister 1971 [1] Archived 16 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Early Years in Public Life
- ^ "BJP's Vote Winner Profile of Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar". 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Minorities may be allergic to the BJP, but not to me". Archived from the original on 20 June 2015.
- ^ "SuMo: Architect of grand alliance fall". The Times of India. 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Tarkishore Prasad: BJP's Tar Kishore Prasad, Renu Devi to be Bihar's deputy CMS | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. 16 November 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "End of the road for Nitish's 'Laxman' in Bihar — Sushil Modi unlikely to return as deputy CM". ThePrint. 15 November 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ "Sushil Modi gets elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ Mehrotra, Karishma; Shih, Gerry (14 March 2023). "Indian government opposes same-sex marriage, warns of countrywide 'havoc'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Same-sex marriage: BJP opposed, MP Sushil Modi said, 'will play havoc with personal laws'". The Indian Express. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Sushil Kumar Modi passes away at 72: All you need to know about the veteran Bihar leader". The Times of India. 13 May 2024. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Ex-Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi dies, was diagnosed with cancer". 13 May 2024. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi passed away, was suffering from cancer". Prabhat Khabar. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "JD(U) ends 17-year-old marriage with BJP, Bihar CM axes 11 ministers | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.