Patna: People passing former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi’s official bungalow at 10, Circular Road in Patna would see a strange sight at the gate.
Instead of policemen, nearly a dozen Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) workers, armed with rattan canes (lathis), are on guard.
This occurred after what used to be Bihar’s first family at one time sent away police personnel when their security was downgraded.
Both Rabri and her son and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, who is now the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, sent back all security personnel deployed at their official residences on Saturday after the security protocol was downgraded by the State Security Committee on Friday.
The RJD workers took over after the state security personnel departed. The group, taking turns to guard the premises, includes women.
RJD chief spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav released a video statement characterizing the move as a bold refusal to accept an insulting arrangement.
The state government is repeatedly using security and official accommodations as tools for “political vendetta” to divert public attention from pressing governance issues, he claimed. The people of Bihar would strongly protest if any harm came to the party leadership, he warned.
Rabri has also been asked to vacate the bungalow that she now occupies. It was officially allotted to minister and BJP leader Nand Kishore Ram, who heads the state’s dairy, fisheries, and animal resources department.
The ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance has, however, spoken out against the so-called play acting.
JD(United) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar called the move political posturing, stating that if Rabri truly wants to reject government privileges, she should also surrender her government bungalow, bulletproof vehicle, and the official facilities equivalent to a cabinet minister.
