“Sushil Modi’s demise is a personal loss”: RJD leader Misa Bharti

Patna (Bihar) [India], May 14 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Misa Bharti mourned the demise of former Deputy Bihar Chief Minister and BJP leader Sushil Modi, saying that the late veteran’s passing away is a personal loss to her.

“It is a personal loss. It is a sad moment for the state as well. Our condolences are with his family. We stand with his family in this hour of grief,” Misa Bharti told reporters.

BJP MLA from Katihar Tarkishore Prasad also expressed sorrow over Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi’s demise and said that he lived his political life with honesty.

“I always got guidance from him in the party. He understood the nuances of Bihar politics very well. We learnt a lot from him. He was very systematic and punctual. He lived his political life with honesty,” Prasad said.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh, expressing grief over Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi’s demise, said, “From the student life to students’ movement, he played an active role in politics. It is not possible to fill the void he has left. Sushil Modi always stood with his friends even in bad times.”

Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who had been battling cancer for the last seven months, passed away at the age of 72 at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on Monday evening.

The last rites of the former Rajya Sabha MP will be performed later in the day.

Sushil Modi announced his treatment last month and did not participate in the Lok Sabha election campaign.

On April 3, this year, Sushil Modi revealed he was suffering from cancer and requested the BJP to relieve him of assignments related to the Lok Sabha elections.

In a post in Hindi on X, he said, “I have been battling with cancer for the last six months. I feel that now the time has come to make it public. I would not be able to do my work during the Lok Sabha polls. I have shared this with the PM. My gratitude to the country, Bihar and my party.”Over his three-decade-long political career, Modi played a pivotal role in shaping Bihar’s political environment. Sushil Modi held various positions in his three-decade-long political career. He served as an MLA, MLC and member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

He was born on January 5, 1952, and began his political journey as a student activist at Patna University, where he served as the general secretary of the Students’ Union in 1973.

He was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1990 from the Patna Central constituency, where he defeated sitting Congress legislator Akil Haider.

He also served as the leader of the opposition in the state assembly from 1996 to 2004.

In 2004, Sushil Modi was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur. Sushil Kumar Modi got 345,151 votes, with 45.6 per cent votes by defeating Communist Party of India (M) leader Subodh Ray.

Then later, he stepped down from his Lok Sabha post in 2005 to become a member of the legislative council and was appointed as the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister alongside Nitish Kumar.

He served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar from 2005 to 2013 and again from 2017 to 2020.

Several BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and incumbent Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, expressed grief and extended their condolences to Sushil Kumar Modi’s bereaved family.