Not a monarchy: Bihar CM takes swipe at RJD over Rabri Bungalow row

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary criticized the RJD amid the Rabri Devi bungalow dispute, saying public residences are not hereditary assets. He also highlighted governance reforms, the Sahyog grievance portal, and pledged strict action against negligent officials and criminals

Sheikhpura (Bihar): Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday took a veiled dig at the RJD, the main opposition party in the state, which has been indignant over the allotment of the bungalow occupied by former CM Rabri Devi to a minister.

Choudhary referred to the tiff without mentioning the opposition party or its leaders by name and remarked, “It is not a monarchy… The mother wants one house, and the son desires another.” The CM was addressing a gathering at Sahyog camp, recently launched by the state government to ensure prompt resolution of people’s grievances concerning different departments, in Sheikhpura. Notably, Rabri Devi has been living at 10, Circular Road, refusing to shift to 39, Hardinge Road allotted to her in her capacity as the leader of the opposition in state legislative council.

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Her son Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, is the occupant of 1, Polo Road.

Choudhary, who had been a deputy CM for two years before becoming the first BJP leader to head a government in Bihar, claimed, “I have never lived in a government bungalow for the last several years. I have been living in my private house.”

The CM claimed he agreed to start working from 1, Anney Marg, the official residence of the chief minister which his government has rechristened as Lok Sevak Bhavan, only upon the insistence of his predecessor Nitish Kumar who gave up the top post to enter Rajya Sabha. “Nitish Kumar ji set an example by taking no time in vacating his official residence. And I must say that the day my leaders tell me to step down, I will pack my bags and leave, without batting an eyelid,” Choudhary said.

The BJP leader, who is often teased by the RJD with the reminder that he began his political career as a minister in Rabri Devi’s cabinet, trained his guns at the opposition party, saying, “Some think a bungalow is a sort of inheritance (bapauti). One house is needed for the mother and another for the son. This is not a monarchy.”

Explaining about Sahyog camps, organised at panchayat levels across the state, on Tuesday, the CM said, “Such camps will ensure prompt resolution of people’s grievances concerning government departments in the state. The government has already launched ‘Sahyog portal’ for the purpose.”

The camps are being organised on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The CM also made it clear that strict departmental action, including suspension, would be taken against officials who fail to dispose of applications listed on the ‘Sahyog portal’ and issue orders within 30 days.

“Problems will be resolved within 30 days by organising Sahyog camps at the panchayat level. Resolving problems of the common people is the top priority of the Bihar government. Every application will be disposed of within 30 days, and compliance details will be uploaded on the Sahyog portal,” the CM said.

The objective of the Sahyog camp initiative is to resolve citizens’ problems in an integrated and transparent manner, Choudhary said.
The state government is continuously striving to resolve the problems of ordinary citizens effectively and within a fixed timeframe, he said.

If the officer concerned fails to dispose of an application and issue an order within 30 days, or shows negligence, he will automatically be suspended on the 31st day, he added.

Asserting that the police have been given a ‘free hand’ to take action against criminals, the CM said that if any criminal dared to challenge the security personnel, the police would respond within 48 hours.
“There will be no compromise on good governance… the rule of law prevails in the state,” he said.

In an apparent reference to the RJD’s national working president Tejashwi Yadav’s recent allegation that police action was targeting people belonging to a particular caste, the CM said, “Such allegations don’t make any sense at all. We believe in good governance. There will be no compromise with law and order and we will take action against criminals. Anyone trying to disturb law and order should be dealt strictly as per law. There is no caste of criminals.”

The CM was apparently referring to Yadav’s recent comment in which he alleged that “caste-based encounters” are being carried out in Bihar.