Raghuvansh Prasad Singh Dies At 74, The Former Union Minister & RJD Leader, Who Quit The Party Days Ago, Was The Brain Behind MGNREGA & India’s Most Influential Rural Development Minister

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, veteran Bihar politician & ex-RJD leader, who submitted his resignation letter to Lalu Prasad Yadav on September 11, died on September 13 at AIIMS in Delhi. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was 74-years-old. Less than an hour later a shocked Lalu Prasad tweeted: "Dear Raghuvansh babu! What did you do?" Singh tested positive for coronavirus in June, post which he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Patna. He was re-admitted to AIIMS in Delhi, where he was being treated for post-coronavirus complications. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was speaking at the launch of petroleum projects in Bihar on September 13, began his speech by paying tribute to Singh. Ram Nath Kovind, President of India also expressed his condolences. Rahul Gandhi said, “With Raghuvansh Prasad Singh's demise, a strong voice for villagers and farmers is now gone.” A long-time associate of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh rattled Yadav & the RJD on September 11 by turning in a handwritten resignation letter. Tejashwi Yadav, also tweeted condolences, saying that Singh had been one of the few to inspire him following his father being sent to jail. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, a Union Minister from Bihar, also expressed his sorrow, praising Singh as a politician who focused on the issues and fought for social justice. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh represented the state's Vaishali constituency and was the Union Minister for Rural Development in the Congress-led UPA-I government. He also served as Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, as well as Food and Consumer Affairs. A politician of nearly four decades, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was widely regarded as an expert in the rural and agricultural landscape of the country. He is credited with the conceptualisation & implementation of the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Employment) Act.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 14, 2020 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).