Sushil Kumar Modi, former Bihar deputy CM, passes away after battle with cancer

Modi was a member of the election manifesto committee recently formed by the BJP for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi passed away on May 13 after battling cancer, ANI has reported.

Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Vijay Kumar Sinha, took to the microblogging site X to share the news late in the evening.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी के वरिष्ठ नेता और बिहार के पूर्व उपमुख्यमंत्री श्री सुशील मोदी जी अब हमारे बीच नहीं रहे । पूरे भाजपा संगठन परिवार के साथ-साथ मेरे जैसे असंख्य कार्यकताओं के लिए यह एक अपूरणीय क्षति है । अपने संगठन कौशल,प्रशासनिक समझ और सामाजिक राजनीतिक विषयों पर अपनी गहरी… pic.twitter.com/s50hqX2Vdc

— Vijay Kumar Sinha (मोदी का परिवार) (@VijayKrSinhaBih) May 13, 2024

In April, the former Deputy CM and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP revealed on X that he has been battling cancer for the past six months. He stated that he believed it was appropriate to share his health status with the public at this time.

"I have been battling cancer for the last 6 months. Now I feel that the time has come to tell people. I will not be able to do anything in the Lok Sabha elections. I have told everything to the PM. Always grateful and always dedicated to the country, Bihar and the party," he had stated.

पिछले 6 माह से कैंसर से संघर्ष कर रहा हूँ । अब लगा कि लोगों को बताने का समय आ गया है । लोक सभा चुनाव में कुछ कर नहीं पाऊँगा । PM को सब कुछ बता दिया है । देश, बिहार और पार्टी का सदा आभार और सदैव समर्पित | — Sushil Kumar Modi (मोदी का परिवार ) (@SushilModi) April 3, 2024

Modi was a member of the election manifesto committee recently formed by the BJP for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. This committee is chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman serving as the convenor and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as the co-convenor.

Brief Political Timeline

Born in January 1952, Modi has had affiliations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since his early years. He commenced his political journey during his college days, serving as the general secretary of the student union in 1973.

As a student activist at Patna University, he rose to become the general secretary of the Patna University Students' Union in 1973. During this time, his contemporary and future political rival, Lalu Prasad, served as the president of the union.

Over the course of his political career spanning more than three decades, Modi held various significant positions, including a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), and a member of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Notably, he served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar from 2005 to 2013 and again from 2017 to 2020.

In 1990, Modi made a significant stride in his political career by contesting and winning the Patna Central Assembly seat. Subsequently, in the 1995 assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the primary opposition party. Despite his credentials, when it came to selecting the leader of the Opposition, the central BJP leadership opted for former bureaucrat Yashwant Sinha over Modi. However, Sinha resigned amidst the Hawala case, leading to Modi assuming the role of Opposition leader in 1996.

During the Emergency period, Modi was reportedly arrested on five occasions. He is reputed to have actively mobilised students during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

In addition to his tenure as Deputy Chief Minister, Modi has also served as the Finance Minister of Bihar.