JD(U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Ever since the Building Construction Department served a notice to former Chief Minister Rabri Devi to vacate the government bungalow at 10, Circular Road, the political temperature has risen sharply. JD(U) Legislative Council member and chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar has gone on the offensive, first claiming the presence of a “basement and treasury” on the premises and now writing to the department seeking strict monitoring of the eviction process.
In his letter to the Building Construction Department, Neeraj Kumar said media reports suggest that the government bungalow at 10, Circular Road, Patna, is being vacated in the absence of Rabri Devi and her family. Reports have also claimed that flower pots and plants were removed from the premises at night using a pickup van.
The JD(U) spokesperson demanded clarity from the department on whether the flower pots and plants installed on the premises belong to the Horticulture Department or are private property. If they are government assets, he asked under whose orders and permission they were removed using a pickup van, and who authorised the vehicle’s entry into the premises in the absence of Rabri Devi and her family.
Neeraj Kumar said that the Building Construction Department provides various facilities and materials in government residences for the convenience of public representatives, details of which are recorded in departmental registers. He pointed out that the family of two former Chief Ministers, Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, has been residing in the bungalow since 2006. During this period, Rabri Devi consistently held the post of Leader of the Opposition, which carries the status of a Cabinet minister.
He further said that Rabri Devi is fully aware of the facilities and materials provided by the department. Therefore, it is expected that every item allotted by the department is handed back safely and in its original condition. It is the department’s responsibility to ensure that during the eviction process, all government property—including fans, air-conditioners, furniture, bathroom fittings, taps, geysers, toilet fixtures, curtains on windows and doors, and other items—remain intact and in place.
The JD(U) MLC also noted that Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav has earlier levelled what he termed baseless allegations. In such a situation, if the bungalow is vacated in the absence of Rabri Devi and her family, there could be future claims that government property was removed not by them but due to departmental negligence or a conspiracy, leading to avoidable political controversy. Hence, he stressed the need for eviction under strict supervision.
He urged the Building Construction Department to ensure proper monitoring of the entire process, conduct physical verification of all assets, and complete due documentation, so that there is no scope for confusion, allegations or political misinformation in the future.
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