Former Union Minister & RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh passes away at AIIMS

On Sunday, September 13, former Union Minister and ex-RJD leer Raghuvansh Pras Singh passed away at AIIMS, New Delhi. This comes days after he wrote a letter announcing his resignation from RJD. 74-year-old Raghuvansh Pras was put on ventilator at ICU unit of AIIMS and was undergoing treatment for over one week. In June, he was tested positive for COVID-19.

Raghuvansh Pras Singh was a Member of Parliament in 15th Lok Sabha and represented Bihar's Vaishali constituency. He also served as  national vice president of RJD until last month, before tendering his resignation allegedly due to a leership vacuum and internal war-of-words with Lalu's sons. Known as one of ace politicians in Bihar politics, he served as energy minister of state in Karpoori Thakur cabinet. Singh also served as union ministers for three terms, last one during Manmohan Singh's UPA 1 as Minister for Rural Development. He is credited for bringing in  NREGA scheme under UPA-1. Even though he represented Bihar's Vaishali constituency for a record five times, he lost two consecutive elections - 2014 and 2019 - from Vaishali.

Raghuvansh Pras Singh was one of key confidants of RJD chief Lalu Pras Yav and has played a key role in building  party and in making Lalu CM. After his resignation, RJD chief Lalu Pras Yav who is currently lodged in jail, wrote back to him on his resignation stating that he cannot go anywhere and y ould talk about issues once he is well. A day after resigning from RJD, Singh also penned a letter to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar demanding change in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) job scheme and urged for developmental works in Vaishali.