Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has passed away at the age of 72 after a valiant struggle with cancer, a condition he had disclosed on April 3rd in a social media post. His passing was confirmed by Bihar's current Deputy CM, Samrat Choudhary.
Born on January 5, 1952, in Patna, the capital of Bihar, Sushil Modi hailed from a family where his father, Moti Lal Modi, and mother, Ratna Devi had preceded him in death. He broke societal norms by marrying into the Christian faith, with his wife Jessie Sushil Modi being a college professor by profession. They were blessed with two sons, Utkarsh Tathagat and Akshay Amritanshu.
His political journey began in student life at Patna University, leading to his election as the General Secretary of the Student Union in 1973. This set him on a path that would see him take on roles as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. He also managed the huge responsibility as the Finance Minister of Bihar. His tenure as Deputy CM of Bihar spanned two significant periods: from 2005 to 2013 and then again from 2017 to 2020.
The seat of influence in Patna Central, he served as a three-time MLA, being elected in 1990, 1995, and continuously until 2000. Between 1996 and 2004, Modi became the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, shaping much of the state's political discourse.
In 2004, he was a Member of Parliament representing Bhagalpur in the Lok Sabha, subsequently resigning in 2005 to assume his role as Deputy CM with Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister.
From November 2005 to June 2013 and from July 2017 to November 2020, he juggled his duties as Deputy CM while managing Bihar's financial affairs.
Between 2006 and 2020, he marked his presence as an MLC, contributing to various committees including those on public undertakings and water resource management.
Modi chaired the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers from July 2011 to June 2013 and played a pivotal role in the Opposition from June 2013 to July 2017.
As a member of the GST Council from July 2017 until November 2020, he impacted the fiscal framework of the entire country.
After being elected to the Rajya Sabha in December 2020, he served on the Committee on Urban Development until September 2021, continuing his influential work across different committees until 2023.
