Sushil Kumar Modi
{{Short description|Indian politician (1952–2024)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Sushil Kumar Modi
| image = The Leader of Opposition, Bihar, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi in New Delhi on January 08 (cropped2).jpg
| caption = Modi in 2015
| birth_date = {{birth date|1952|1|5|df=y}}
| birth_place = Patna, Bihar, India
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|5|13|1952|1|5|df=y}}
| death_place = Patna, Bihar, India
| residence = Patna, Bihar, India
| alma_mater = Patna University
| party = Bharatiya Janata Party
| spouse = {{marriage|Jessie George|1986}}
| children = 2
| signature =
| Awards =
| website = {{URL|http://www.sushilmodi.in}}
| office = Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
| term_start = 7 December 2020
| term_end = 2 April 2024
| constituency = Bihar
| predecessor = Ram Vilas Paswan
| successor = Dharamshila Gupta
| office1 = 4th Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar
| term_start1 = 27 July 2017
| term_end1 = 16 November 2020
| predecessor1 = Tejashwi Yadav
| successor1 = Renu Devi, Tarkishore Prasad
| 1blankname1 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata1 = Nitish Kumar
| term_start2 = 24 November 2005
| term_end2 = 16 June 2013
| predecessor2 = Ram Jaipal Singh Yadav
| successor2 = Tejashwi Yadav
| 1blankname2 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata2 = Nitish Kumar
| office3 = Minister of Finance
Government of Bihar
| 1blankname3 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata3 = Nitish Kumar
| term_start3 = 27 July 2017
| term_end3 = 16 November 2020
| predecessor3 = Abdul Bari Siddiqui
| successor3 = Tarkishore Prasad
| term_start4 = 24 November 2005
| term_end4 = 16 June 2013
| predecessor4 = Rabri Devi
| successor4 = Nitish Kumar
| 1blankname4 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata4 = Nitish Kumar
| office5 = Leader of the Opposition
Bihar Legislative Council
| 1blankname5 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata5 = Nitish Kumar
| term_start5 = 19 June 2013
| term_end5 = 27 July 2017
| predecessor5 = Ghulam Ghaus
| successor5 = Rabri Devi
| office6 = Member of Bihar Legislative Council
| term_start6 = 7 May 2006
| term_end6 = 11 December 2020
| constituency6 = elected by the Members of Legislative Assembly
| successor6 = Shahnawaz Hussain
| office7 = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
| term_start7 = 2004
| term_end7 = 2005
| predecessor7 = Subodh Ray
| successor7 = Syed Shahnawaz Hussain
| constituency7 = Bhagalpur
| office8 = Leader of the Opposition
Bihar Legislative Assembly
| 1blankname8 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata8 = Lalu Prasad Yadav
Rabri Devi
| term_start8 = 19 March 1996
| term_end8 = 28 March 2004
| predecessor8 = Yashwant Sinha
| successor8 = Upendra Kushwaha
| office9 = Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly
| term_start9 = 1990
| term_end9 = 2004
| constituency9 = Patna Central
| predecessor9 = Aquil Haider
| successor9 = Arun Kumar Sinha
}}
Sushil Kumar Modi (5 January 1952 – 13 May 2024) was an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party who was a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He was a Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar as well as the Finance Minister of Bihar from 2005 to 2013 and 2017 to 2020.{{cite web | title=Sushil Kumar Modi passes away at 72: All you need to know about the veteran Bihar leader | website=The Times of India | date=13 May 2024 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sushil-kumar-modi-passes-away-at-72-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-veteran-bihar-leader/articleshow/110092818.cms | access-date=14 May 2024 | archive-date=14 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514052441/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sushil-kumar-modi-passes-away-at-72-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-veteran-bihar-leader/articleshow/110092818.cms | url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bihar-polls-sushil-modi-tops-bjp-s-list-of-cm-probables/article1-1367978.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711093707/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bihar-polls-sushil-modi-tops-bjp-s-list-of-cm-probables/article1-1367978.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 July 2015|title=Bihar elections: Sushil Modi tops BJP's list of CM probables}} He was a lifelong member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was appointed the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers for the Implementation of Goods and Service Tax in July 2011.{{cite news | website=The Hindu | date=19 July 2011 | title=Sushil Modi elected new chief of Empowered Committee on GST | url=https://www.thehindu.com/business/sushil-modi-elected-new-chief-of-empowered-committee-on-gst/article2248415.ece | access-date=20 September 2021 | archive-date=7 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807022405/https://www.thehindu.com/business//article59981556.ece | url-status=live }} He was posthumously honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, by the Government of India.{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Santosh |title=How Sushil Kumar Modi left his mark on Bihar politics: Gentleman politician who helped usher in stability |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/sushil-kumar-modi-bihar-politics-9801167/ |publisher=Indian Express |date=January 27, 2025}}
Early life and education
Sushil Modi was born on 5 January 1952. He was born to Moti Lal Modi and Ratna Devi.{{Cite web |url=http://www.firstpost.com/politics/not-just-upper-castes-obcs-dalits-turning-to-bjp-too-1466025.html |title=Upper castes, OBCs, Dalits and BJP |date=4 April 2014 |access-date=13 June 2015 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924151659/http://www.firstpost.com/politics/not-just-upper-castes-obcs-dalits-turning-to-bjp-too-1466025.html |url-status=live }} He attended Patna Science College and graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) Botany degree in 1973. He enrolled in the M.Sc. Botany Course at Patna University but left the course midway to join the social movement started by Jai Prakash Narayan.{{Cite web|url=https://myneta.info/rajsab09aff/candidate.php?candidate_id=905|title=Sushil Kumar Modi(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):(BIHAR) - Affidavit Information of Candidate|access-date=14 January 2022|archive-date=14 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114102257/https://myneta.info/rajsab09aff/candidate.php?candidate_id=905|url-status=live}}
Modi married Jessie George on 13 August 1986, a Christian Keralite hailing from Mumbai.{{cite news|title=No 'band, baaja, baaraat' for SuMo son's wedding|website=The Times of India|date=19 November 2017 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/no-band-baaja-baaraat-for-sumo-sons-wedding/articleshow/61706232.cms|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=19 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119214922/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/no-band-baaja-baaraat-for-sumo-sons-wedding/articleshow/61706232.cms|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Political way to nurture love|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110214/jsp/bihar/story_13578229.jsp|access-date=24 September 2015|archive-date=12 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812135429/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1110214/jsp/bihar/story_13578229.jsp|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=When Atal Bihari Vajpayee 'refused' to bless Sushil Kumar Modi|website=The Times of India|date=18 August 2018 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/when-vajpayee-refused-to-bless-sumo/articleshow/65444698.cms|access-date=21 November 2018|archive-date=13 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413072039/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/when-vajpayee-refused-to-bless-sumo/articleshow/65444698.cms|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/sushil-kumar-modi-has-a-family-foothold-here/article19848158.ece|title = Sushil Kumar Modi has a family foothold here|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 13 October 2017|last1 = Jacob|first1 = George|access-date = 14 January 2022|archive-date = 7 August 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220807022330/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/sushil-kumar-modi-has-a-family-foothold-here/article19848158.ece|url-status = live}} Modi and Jessy were classmates during their research studies. During this time, they fell in love and decided to get married.
His wife was a college professor, with whom he had two sons, Utkarsh Tathagat and Akshay Amritanshu.{{cite web|title=Cool leaders see off 2012 with relatives Most ministers retire to bed before midnight, Bhim Singh stays up late|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1130102/jsp/bihar/story_16388983.jsp|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032046/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1130102/jsp/bihar/story_16388983.jsp|url-status=dead}}{{cite web | url=https://aajtak.intoday.in/gallery/bihar-deputy-cm-sushil-modi-and-her-wife-jessie-george-love-story-2-13759.html | title=ईसाई धर्म से हैं सुशील मोदी की पत्नी, शादी के दिन ऐसे बदली थी किस्मत | date=28 July 2017 | access-date=31 May 2020 | archive-date=14 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514072035/https://www.aajtak.in/trending/photo/bihar-deputy-cm-sushil-modi-and-her-wife-jessie-george-love-story-481381-2017-07-28 | url-status=live }}
File:Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Minister of State for Rural Development, Shri Ram Kripal Yadav and the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Sushil Modi perform Yoga, on the occasion of the 4th International Day of Yoga 2018.JPG 2018 along with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ram Kripal Yadav ]]
Early political career
Sushil Modi's political career started as a student activist at Patna University. He became the General-Secretary of Patna University Students' Union in 1973, Lalu Prasad Yadav who later came to be his biggest political rival was the President of the Union at the time. In 1974, he became a Member of Bihar Pradesh Chaatra (Student) Sangharsh Samiti which spearheaded the famous Bihar Student's Movement of 1974.Official Website Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi {{cite web |url=http://dycm.bih.nic.in/Profile.aspx |title=Profile of Shri Sushil Kumar Modi |access-date=23 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707133505/http://dycm.bih.nic.in/Profile.aspx |archive-date=7 July 2012 }} Early Years in Public LifeProfile of Deputy Chief Minister 1971 [http://vidhansabha.bih.nic.in/pdf/Dy%20Cm.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216171222/http://vidhansabha.bih.nic.in/pdf/Dy%20Cm.pdf|date=16 February 2012}} Early Years in Public Life
Modi was arrested five times during JP Movement and the Emergency. He was arrested during the 1974 student movement in Bihar. He challenged the constitutional validity of MISA Act in the Supreme Court of India which resulted in section 9 of the MISA Act being struck down as unconstitutional. He was booked under the MISA and various other acts from 1973 to 1977. During The Emergency, he was arrested on 30 June 1975 and remained in Jail for 19 months continuously.
Modi was appointed the State Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad after the Emergency. From 1977 to 1986, he held various leadership positions in the ABVP. During his tenure at ABVP he led a movement against the declaration of Urdu as the second language of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Concerned about the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh in the bordering districts of Bihar he raised the issue and after Assam Movement, a movement against illegal migration was launched in Bihar under his leadership.
Political career
File:Sushil modi nayagaon saran aug 2015.jpg, Sonpur in 2015]]
In 1990, he joined active politics and successfully contested from Patna Central Assembly (now known as Kumhrar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)).{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihars-deputy-cm-sushil-kumar-modi-success-story/1/137308.html|title=BJP's Vote Winner Profile of Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar|date=7 May 2011 |access-date=17 October 2015|archive-date=3 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003011239/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihars-deputy-cm-sushil-kumar-modi-success-story/1/137308.html|url-status=live}} He was re-elected in 1995 and 2000. In 1990, he was made the Chief Whip of the BJP Bihar Legislature Party. From 1996 until 2004 he was the Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly. He filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Patna High Court against Lalu Prasad Yadav, which was later known as the Fodder Scam. He became a member of Lok Sabha in 2004 representing the constituency of Bhagalpur.
Modi was the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in a short-lived Nitish Kumar government in 2000. He supported the formation of the State of Jharkhand.
In 2005 Bihar election, NDA came to power and Modi was elected the leader of Bihar BJP Legislature Party. He subsequently resigned from the Lok Sabha and took over as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. He was given the Finance Portfolio along with a number of other departments. After NDA victory in 2010 Bihar elections, he continued to be the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. Modi did not contest the 2005 and 2010 Bihar Assembly elections to be able to campaign for BJP.{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110807/jsp/7days/story_14347422.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620020715/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110807/jsp/7days/story_14347422.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 June 2015|title=Minorities may be allergic to the BJP, but not to me}}
File:Modi at Hunkar Rally in Patna.jpg and Rajnath Singh at Hunkar Rally]]
In 2017, Sushil Modi was the main player behind the fall of the JDU-RJD Grand Alliance government in Bihar, with his continuous tirade against RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family for four months over his alleged benami properties and irregular financial transactions.{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/sumo-architect-of-grand-alliance-fall/articleshow/59780339.cms|title=SuMo: Architect of grand alliance fall|website=The Times of India|date=27 July 2017 |access-date=31 July 2017|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807022333/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/sumo-architect-of-grand-alliance-fall/articleshow/59780339.cms|url-status=live}}
Sushil Kumar Modi was Nitish Kumar’s deputy Chief Minister for 11 years and the duo was often referred to as Ram-Laxman ki jodi in the political circles of Bihar.{{Cite news|url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/bjps-tar-kishore-renu-devi-to-be-deputy-cms/articleshow/79238718.cms|title = Tarkishore Prasad: BJP's Tar Kishore Prasad, Renu Devi to be Bihar's deputy CMS | Patna News - Times of India|website = The Times of India| date=16 November 2020 |access-date = 16 November 2020|archive-date = 16 November 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201116013646/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/bjps-tar-kishore-renu-devi-to-be-deputy-cms/articleshow/79238718.cms|url-status = live}}{{Cite web|url = https://theprint.in/politics/end-of-the-road-for-nitishs-laxman-in-bihar-sushil-modi-unlikely-to-return-as-deputy-cm/545077/|title = End of the road for Nitish's 'Laxman' in Bihar — Sushil Modi unlikely to return as deputy CM| website=ThePrint |date = 15 November 2020|access-date = 27 November 2020|archive-date = 28 November 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201128155907/https://theprint.in/politics/end-of-the-road-for-nitishs-laxman-in-bihar-sushil-modi-unlikely-to-return-as-deputy-cm/545077/|url-status = live}}
On 8 December 2020, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar to fill the vacant seat after Ram Vilas Paswan's death. He became one of the few Indian leaders to have been a member of both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha — both houses of the legislature.{{Cite news|url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sushil-modi-gets-elected-unopposed-to-rajya-sabha/articleshow/79610448.cms|title = Sushil Modi gets elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha | India News - Times of India|website = The Times of India| date=7 December 2020 |access-date = 8 December 2020|archive-date = 8 December 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201208025954/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sushil-modi-gets-elected-unopposed-to-rajya-sabha/articleshow/79610448.cms|url-status = live}}
= Political views =
Modi was opposed to efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in India, describing supporters as "left-liberals” who want to “imitate the West and impose such laws" on the Indian public.{{Cite news |last1=Mehrotra |first1=Karishma |last2=Shih |first2=Gerry |date=2023-03-14 |title=Indian government opposes same-sex marriage, warns of countrywide 'havoc' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/14/india-same-sex-marriage/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314172029/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/14/india-same-sex-marriage/ |url-status=live }} Modi argued that legalizing same-sex marriage in India would "cause complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country".{{Cite web |date=2023-10-17 |title=Same-sex marriage: BJP opposed, MP Sushil Modi said, 'will play havoc with personal laws' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/bjp-same-sex-marriage-sushil-modi-personal-laws-8987046/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=The Indian Express |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404012819/https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/bjp-same-sex-marriage-sushil-modi-personal-laws-8987046/ |url-status=live }}
Illness and death
On 3 April 2024, Modi revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer six months previously, and would not take part in the BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign for the 2024 general election. He died after a prolonged battle with cancer on 13 May 2024, at the age of 72.{{cite web |date=13 May 2024 |title=Sushil Kumar Modi passes away at 72: All you need to know about the veteran Bihar leader |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sushil-kumar-modi-passes-away-at-72-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-veteran-bihar-leader/articleshow/110092818.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514052441/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sushil-kumar-modi-passes-away-at-72-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-veteran-bihar-leader/articleshow/110092818.cms |archive-date=14 May 2024 |access-date=14 May 2024 |website=The Times of India}}{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/former-bihar-deputy-chief-minister-sushil-kumar-modi-dies-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-2538740-2024-05-13 | title=Ex-Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi dies, was diagnosed with cancer | date=13 May 2024 | access-date=13 May 2024 | archive-date=14 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514052412/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/former-bihar-deputy-chief-minister-sushil-kumar-modi-dies-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-2538740-2024-05-13 | url-status=live }} During the Lok Sabha elections, he had revealed his illness on social media{{Cite news |title=Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi passed away, was suffering from cancer |url=https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/former-deputy-chief-minister-of-bihar-sushil-modi-passes-away-axs |access-date=14 May 2024 |work=Prabhat Khabar}} .According to Narendra Modi "He has played an invaluable role in the rise and success of BJP in Bihar".
Positions held
File:The Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar & Convener of the GoM, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi addressing a press conference after the 7th Meeting of the Group of Ministers on IT (GoM on IT) for GST Implementation, in New Delhi.jpg Implementation, in New Delhi]]
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://sushilmodi.in/hi/}}
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{{s-bef|before=Subodh Ray}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament
for Bhagalpur |years=2004 – 2006}}
{{s-aft|after=Syed Shahnawaz Hussain}}
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{{Padma Bhushan Award Recipients 2020–2029}}
{{Bharatiya Janata Party}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modi, Sushil Kumar}}
Category:Deputy chief ministers of Bihar
Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Bihar
Category:Politicians from Patna
Category:Members of the Bihar Legislative Council
Category:Finance ministers of Bihar
Category:Lok Sabha members from Bihar
Category:Leaders of the opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly
Category:Leaders of the opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council
Category:Rajya Sabha members from Bihar