The worst is, perhaps, yet to come. After being denied re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha and getting pushed out of his official bungalow in Patna, Union minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh now faces pressure to resign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet on “moral grounds”. Strangely, the pressures are coming from none else but his own party, the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

Singh, more popular as RCP among his friends and in the political circles, is set to lose his ministerial berth early next month until some ‘miracle’ of sorts happens, now with the JD-U refusing to re-nominate him to the Rajya Sabha for the third consecutive term. His six-year term expires on July 7 and with which will automatically come to end his one-year-old ministerial career, it is understood. But, the JD-U doesn’t want him to continue on this post any longer.

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“Although as per constitutional provisions, one can continue (as a minister) till then he is a member of any House but morality is also a factor in politics. He shouldn’t waste any moment in resigning from his post,” JD-U’s parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha told the media today, adding he should himself decide and very quickly. “Unko vilamb nahin karna chahiye…khud decision lena chahiye,” Kushwaha added.

Kushwaha who only recently made a homecoming to the party after merging his party, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) with the JD-U, refused to give personal advice to the Union minister saying the latter himself has to take a call. “But as far as I think there is no point in continuing as the minister in the current situation,” Kushwaha said, referring to RCP who has suddenly fallen from grace.

In another major blow to RCP, the state JD-U leadership today cracked down on some party leaders considered close to him. Although the party said they were penalized for working against the party line, informed sources said they paid the price for being close to the Union minister. They included Ajay Alok, state spokesperson, Anil Kumar, Bipin Yadav, general secretary, and Jitendra Neeraj.

What is further strange, the party leadership says they haven’t yet decided what will be the role of RCP when he discontinues as Union minister after his Rajya Sabha term ends next month. “The party has still not worked out what role he (RCP) should be given,” Kushwaha said adding it is up to RCP to decide how he moves forward. “Unki bhumika kya rahegi, tatkal party ka koi agenda nahin hai. Khud hi tay karna hai unko ki kis rup me aage chalna hai”.

Given this situation, it appears really very tough for RCP to survive and adjust himself to the party. Yet another point worth mentioning here is that the JD-U has only two important posts in the organization—of the national president and parliamentary board chairman. Curiously, none of the two are vacant now. While the post of national president is held by Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, the post of parliamentary board chairman is held by former union minister Kushwaha.

The lone hope for RCP now is Lalan Singh who holds two posts at a time. Apart from being the party’s president, he also happens to be the leader of his party in the Lok Sabha. The party can, thus, spare one seat for him if the rule of “one man, one post” is strictly implemented but again it depends on the party if it is interested in handing any key responsibility to him. Thus, all doors appear closed for RCP for now.