Patna: The political dispute surrounding the government residence occupied by former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi has intensified, with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary launching a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leadership during a public gathering in Sheikhpura on Tuesday.
Without directly naming individuals, the Chief Minister criticised what he described as an excessive attachment to government residences, asserting that official accommodations are meant for public servants and not for personal or hereditary use.
“A government bungalow is not anyone’s ancestral property,” Samrat Choudhary remarked while addressing the gathering.
He further alleged that some political leaders have become so attached to government housing that they are demanding separate residences for different family members while ignoring the concerns of the general public.
The Chief Minister said that public representatives should prioritise the welfare of citizens rather than focusing on retaining government accommodation after leaving office.
Recalling his own political career, Samrat Choudhary noted that he had served in several ministerial positions, including as Bihar’s Home Minister, yet had never treated official residences as personal property.
He stated that after moving into the Chief Minister’s official residence, he directed officials to install a signboard outside the premises stating that the house belonged to a public servant and was not private property.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that he has changed government residences multiple times over the course of his political career.
According to him, he has shifted between official accommodations eleven times since 1999.
Drawing a comparison with former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said that whenever Nitish Kumar demitted office, he vacated the official residence without waiting for any notice from the government.
The controversy centres on the government bungalow located at 10 Circular Road in Patna, where former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav are residing.
The Building Construction Department has directed the occupants to vacate the residence within 15 days.
Officials stated that a notice regarding the matter had been issued on November 25, 2025, but the premises have not yet been vacated.
The government has allotted an alternative official residence to Rabri Devi at 39 Hardinge Road.
However, authorities claim that despite repeated requests and communications, the family has continued to occupy the existing accommodation.
(IANS)
