A day after former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi refused to vacate her official residence at 10, Circular Road in Patna, her daughter Rohini Acharya on Sunday openly challenged the state government to evict the family by force, accusing it of pursuing vendetta politics.
Rohini's social media post
In a strongly worded social media post, Rohini wrote: "Agar himmat hai toh jabran bungalow khali karwaye sarkar" (If the government has guts, it should vacate the bungalow forcibly). She alleged that the move was aimed at diverting attention from pressing issues such as unemployment, inflation, corruption, and crime. Rohini also criticized the deployment of police personnel at the former chief minister's residence.
Political context
The controversy comes at a time when Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad is in Singapore for a routine medical check-up. Lalu arrived in Singapore on Friday and was received by Rohini. A video of their meeting has been widely circulated on social media. Lalu underwent a kidney transplant in December 2022.
Meanwhile, Purnia MP Pappu Yadav urged Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary to resolve the issue amicably. In a video statement, Yadav said, "Please allot some other bungalow to your minister (Nand Kishore Ram) and end the conflict." Referring to Rabri Devi, he added, "Rabri Devi ji is like your mother. What's the point in insulting her this way? You too will become a former chief minister one day."
RJD's allegations
The RJD also accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of harassing a Dalit minister through repeated changes in bungalow allotment. RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad said in a statement, "On May 11, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Nand Kishore Ram was allotted 21, Hardinge Road bungalow from the central pool, but soon thereafter, this allotment was cancelled and he was allotted the bungalow currently used by Rabri Devi."
"It is beyond everyone's comprehension why Nand Kishore Ram did not move into that allotted house and when the house was changed, he should have given a statement as to how the state government is harassing him by repeatedly changing his house and how they are insulting a Dalit community. Instead, he accused Rabri of harassing a Dalit, which is not true," the RJD spokesperson added.
The standoff continues as the government insists on vacating the bungalow for the newly allotted minister, while the former chief minister's family refuses to leave, citing political vendetta.
