Patna, Aug 21 (IANS): BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday levelled allegations of misappropriating Rs 12 crore against Bihar Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh.

Modi also said that Singh, a RJD leader and son of its state unit chief Jagadanand Singh, came out of bail after depositing Rs 60 lakh, and demanded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sack him from his cabinet.

"In a case of cheating, Sudhakar Singh was in jail for a long time. The court had given bail only after he deposited Rs 60 lakh. Sudhakar Singh applied for the bail from a lower court which turned down his plea. Hence, he applied for the bail in the Patna High Court which granted bail after he deposited Rs 60 lakh.

"Sudhakar Singh is under a Rs 12 crore debt of the state government and the Patna High Court did not give him waiver. The court has just put a stay on the recovery of money," Modi said.

"Sudhakar Singh should reply whether a case of misappropriation was filed against him or not. He should also reply whether he served a jail term or not," he said, asking the Chief Minister if "it was wise to keep a minister who was booked under charges of misappropriation".

Modi also alleged that RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagadanand Singh may apply pressure on Nitish Kumar to change the policy so that he would get relief from repayment.

Reacting to the allegations, Sudhakar Singh said: "The allegation was levelled in 2013 and the BJP made it an issue in 2022 only due to jealousy. I contested against the BJP in the 2020 Assembly election... why did the BJP not make this allegation as an issue against me then. Due to my good work in the field, I contested it and won. When I was taking the certificate from the DM, a number of phone calls came to the DM. He tried to snatch my winning certificate. I demand from the authority to investigate the call details of the DM of Buxar. It would be clear then who called him."