After resigning from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Union Minister RK Singh on Sunday said there is no point in being in a party which tolerates persons with criminal background and fields candidates.
The former minister claimed that the party’s decision to give tickets to such candidates is “tarnishing the image of the party” and is not in the interest of the party.
Singh said that he has sent his resignation to Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda.
Speaking to ANI, RK Singh said, “It has not been specified what those ‘anti-party activities’ are. They asked for a show cause notice from me and I sent my resignation to the party’s national president JP Nadda. In response to him, I am asking the Bihar BJP what ‘anti-party activities’ they are talking about. I said that people with criminal background or corrupt should not be given tickets. Is this ‘anti-party activity’? If you give people with criminal background If you give tickets, you are reducing the image of the party. It will never be in the interest of the party.”
He said, “Giving tickets to such people is not in anyone’s interest, neither in the interest of the nation, nor in the interest of the people, not even in the interest of the party… My statement was in the interest of the party. If you question people with criminal background, there is no use in living in a place where people are troubled.”
His resignation comes after RK Singh was recently suspended from the BJP party due to “anti-party” activities. He was suspended just a day after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s landslide victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
In a letter sent to the BJP national president, Singh said he had received a letter from the party regarding the decision to suspend him, citing anti-party activities. He has sought an explanation as to why he should not be expelled. However, there was no mention of anti-party activities in the letter.
He wrote in the letter, “I have received a letter sent by some members of the media (copy attached) stating that the party has decided to suspend me for anti-party activities and asking why I should not be expelled from the party. The letter does not mention the anti-party activities I have been accused of. I cannot give show cause notice for allegations which have not been mentioned.”
He further said that the reason for the show cause notice was probably his statement against giving tickets to people with criminal background. At the end of the letter he mentioned his formal resignation from the BJP party.
Former Arrah MP RK Singh has been vocal about his disagreement with the internal dynamics of the party and has criticized several NDA leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and JDU leader Anant Singh. He has also raised questions on the way the Election Commission dealt with law and order issues during the elections.
The BJP’s suspension notice said Singh’s activities had caused damage to the party and amounted to serious indiscipline. Along with Singh, two other leaders, MLC Ashok Agarwal and Katihar Mayor Usha Agarwal, have also been suspended for similar reasons.
Earlier this month, Singh had claimed that the state government is involved in a Rs 62,000 crore corruption scam involving a power project. He had also posted documents related to this on his official X handle. Singh had also urged the Election Commission to strictly follow the Model Code of Conduct and termed the situation as a “failure” of both the Election Commission and the local administration.
RK Singh, two-time MP from Arrah constituency of Bihar and former Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and Renewable Energy, lost his seat in the 2024 general elections.