Whether the issue is alleged forcible land acquisition, farmers’ rights, corruption or government accountability, Singh has consistently sought to bring public grievances into the political debate. What remains conspicuously absent is a comparable show of support from his party.
A review of the social media profiles of several prominent RJD leaders reveals little public acknowledgment of the issues he has raised. Those whose profiles were reviewed include Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Yadav and Manoj Jha; MLCs Sunil Singh and Abdul Bari Siddiqui; Lok Sabha MP Abhay Kushwaha; MLAs Gautam Krishna and Ranvijay Sahu; and party spokespersons Kanchana Yadav and Priyanka Bharti.
Despite their continued activity on social media, none appeared, in the profiles reviewed, to have publicly endorsed Singh’s interventions or lent their voice to the issues he has raised.
There was also little visible solidarity from fellow RJD leaders when Singh was detained by police in Nawada during a farmers’ protest. Nor was there any prominent public show of support when an FIR was lodged against him, accusing him of dacoity and attempt to murder during a farmers’ rally in Motihari, East Champaran.
This silence is particularly striking because the issues Singh raises should strengthen the RJD’s own pro-people positioning and reinforce the political arguments advanced by its leader, Tejashwi Yadav.
Public silence does not necessarily establish private disagreement. But it leaves an obvious question unanswered: why does a leader whose interventions command attention within the government appear to struggle for acknowledgment within his own political team?
Bihar watchers believe Sudhakar Singh may well be the RJD’s most valuable player โ taking on difficult opponents, raising consequential questions and keeping the government under pressure.
Yet, whether he looks towards the dressing room or towards his teammates on the field, the applause for his sustained efforts and political heroics still seems to be missing.
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