Sushil Kumar Modi, Politician
Politician

Sushil Kumar Modi

Born 5 January 1952 · Bihar — Died 13 May 2024

Chaired the Empowered Committee for implementing India's Goods and Services Tax in 2011.

Sushil Kumar Modi 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. 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.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Sushil Kumar Modi’s challenge to the MISA Act during the Emergency led to a Supreme Court ruling that struck down a key section of the law, a rare legal victory by a student activist jailed for 19 months.

The Story

1
In 1974, Sushil Kumar Modi, then a student at Patna University, was arrested five times during the Bihar Student Movement, a pivotal uprising against corruption, marking his emergence as a fierce activist.
2
🌟 Between 1975 and 1977, Modi was imprisoned for 19 months during the Emergency, challenging the MISA Act's constitutional validity in the Supreme Court, which led to section 9 of the act being struck down.
3By 1996, Modi had become Leader of Opposition in Bihar’s Assembly and filed a Public Interest Litigation that exposed the infamous Fodder Scam implicating Lalu Prasad Yadav's government.
4🌟 In July 2011, he was appointed chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST), succeeding West Bengal’s finance minister after electoral defeat.

🏅 Awards & Honours

—
Outstanding Parliamentarian Award

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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Between 1973 and 1977, Modi was booked multiple times under the MISA and other acts, a period when he was repeatedly jailed for his role in the JP Movement and the Emergency crackdown.

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Through the Years

2 photographs from the archives
Sushil Kumar Modi at Bihar Legislative Council centenary celebrations in Patna with dignitaries (2012)
Sushil Kumar Modi at Bihar Legislative Council centenary celebrations in Patna with dignitaries (2012)
2012
Sushil Kumar Modi, Leader of Opposition Bihar, meets Union Minister Ananthkumar in New Delhi (2015)

🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Birth in Patna, Bihar
Sushil Kumar Modi was born to Moti Lal Modi and Ratna Devi in Patna, setting roots in the state he would later serve politically.
1952
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Education
Patna University Student Leader
Modi became General Secretary of Patna University Students' Union while Lalu Prasad Yadav was president, marking the start of their long political rivalry.
1973
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Career
Arrested during Emergency
Sushil Modi was jailed for 19 months during the Emergency, a period of political suppression under Indira Gandhi’s government.
1975
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Career
Elected to Bihar Assembly
Modi won the Patna Central Assembly seat, beginning his formal career in elected politics and becoming BJP Bihar Legislature Party Chief Whip.
1990
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Career
Leader of Opposition in Bihar
Modi served as Leader of Opposition until 2004, during which he filed the PIL exposing the Fodder Scam corruption scandal.
1996
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Career
Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar
Modi became Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister under Nitish Kumar’s government, a position he held with a break until 2020.
2005
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Career
Chairman of GST Committee
He was appointed chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers for GST implementation, a key role in India's tax reform.
2011
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Career
Elected to Rajya Sabha
Modi was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar after Ram Vilas Paswan’s death, joining the upper house of Parliament.
2020
🕊️
Death
Death in New Delhi
Sushil Kumar Modi passed away at age 72 after battling cancer, ending a political career spanning over three decades.
2024
More moments to come...
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 06
👤PERSONAL

In 1986, Modi married Jessie George, a Christian Keralite and college professor from Mumbai, whom he met during research studies, highlighting a cross-cultural personal life uncommon in Bihar politics.

02 / 06
🔍LESSER KNOWN

Modi led a movement opposing the declaration of Urdu as the second language in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh during his ABVP leadership between 1977 and 1986.

03 / 06
🔍LESSER KNOWN

He played a key role in launching a movement against illegal Bangladeshi migration in Bihar’s border districts, paralleling the Assam Movement, but with a state-specific focus.

No quote recorded for Sushil Kumar Modi yet.

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
Sushil Kumar Modi: BJP Has No Role In Framing Charges Against Lalu Prasad Yadav & Family
More from this archive
Sushil Kumar Modi: BJP Has No Role In Framing Charges Against Lalu Prasad Yadav & Family
01
Sushil Kumar Modi: BJP Has No Role In Framing Charges Against Lalu Prasad Yadav & Family
Sushil Kumar Modi Reacts To Nitish Kumar Dumping BJP, Says 'We Had No Idea That He Will Break...'
02
Sushil Kumar Modi Reacts To Nitish Kumar Dumping BJP, Says 'We Had No Idea That He Will Break...'
Shri Sushil Kumar Modi on the Finance Bill, 2021 in Rajya Sabha: 24.03.2021
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Shri Sushil Kumar Modi on the Finance Bill, 2021 in Rajya Sabha: 24.03.2021
Uniform Civil Code 2023 | Sushil Modi On Raging Debate Over UCC Implementation | News18 Exclusive
04
Uniform Civil Code 2023 | Sushil Modi On Raging Debate Over UCC Implementation | News18 Exclusive
Shri Sushil Kumar Modi on Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 in Rajya Sabha.
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Shri Sushil Kumar Modi on Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 in Rajya Sabha.
Shri Sushil Kumar Modi on special mention in Rajya Sabha:19.12.2022
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Shri Sushil Kumar Modi on special mention in Rajya Sabha:19.12.2022
Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Deputy CM Sushil Modi ने बताया वे Politics में नहीं आते तो क्या करते?
07
Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Deputy CM Sushil Modi ने बताया वे Politics में नहीं आते तो क्या करते?
BJPs MP Sushil Kumar Modi On Political Crisis Of Bihar
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BJPs MP Sushil Kumar Modi On Political Crisis Of Bihar
Lok Sabha Election 2019 ; NDA has strengthened with Nitish Kumar says Sushil Kumar Modi
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Lok Sabha Election 2019 ; NDA has strengthened with Nitish Kumar says Sushil Kumar Modi
Coronavirus on Oct 22, Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi tests positive for Covid-19
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Coronavirus on Oct 22, Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi tests positive for Covid-19

🌱 What changed because of them

Sushil Kumar Modi’s activism in the Bihar Student Movement and legal challenge against the MISA Act influenced constitutional safeguards during the Emergency. His PIL against the Fodder Scam helped expose systemic corruption, altering Bihar’s political narrative. As Finance Minister and GST committee chairman, Modi contributed to fiscal reforms that reshaped taxation and governance in Bihar and across India.

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