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In the politics of Bihar, the troubles of the powerful leader Anant Singh and his family, known as ‘Chhote Sarkar’, are not showing any sign of abating. Janata Dal United (JDU) and the ruling alliance have dealt another major blow to Anant Singh’s political empire. The Building Construction Department of Bihar Government has given an official notice to Anant Singh’s wife and Mokama MLA Neelam Devi to immediately vacate her luxurious government bungalow near Patna High Court in Patna. After Neelam Devi was recently stripped of the post of Chairperson of Bihar State Women Commission and the status of Minister of State, this is being considered as the third consecutive major administrative and political action of the JDU led government. This strict decision of the government has created panic in the political circles of Bihar, while an atmosphere of deep silence and despair is being seen among the supporters of Anant Singh from Mokama to Patna.
This VIP government bungalow, located in a posh area of Patna, was allotted to Neelam Devi due to her political stature and erstwhile constitutional responsibilities. However, in the last few months, after the increasing political distance between the JDU top leadership and Anant Singh’s clan and the change in power equations, the government’s stance has become tough. This notice issued by senior officials of the Building Construction Department clearly states that Neelam Devi is no longer entitled to the prescribed category under which she was allotted this Category-A VIP residence. As per the rules, as soon as the notice period is over, they will have to vacate the bungalow and hand over the keys to the department. If this does not happen, eviction action will be taken by the administration under legal process.
This is not the first time in Bihar politics that the ruling party has tightened such a strict noose on its own old allies. Some time ago, the government had revoked the status of Minister of State given to Neelam Devi and after that also took away important administrative responsibilities from her. Political analysts believe that the JDU high command was very angry with the Anant Singh family due to the local body elections in Mokama and surrounding areas, upcoming organizational decisions and some statements made outside the party line. Strategists close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have given a clear message that those showing indiscipline in the party and trying to run their parallel power will not be spared at any cost, no matter how big their political presence is.
After this notice to vacate the government bungalow, Bihar’s main opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other opposition parties have accused the state government of working out of political vendetta. Opposition leaders say that as long as a leader agrees with the government, he is given all the comforts, but as soon as he raises his rights and the voice of the public, the administrative machinery is deployed against him. On the other hand, JDU spokespersons rejected these allegations of the opposition and said that this is completely a normal administrative process. Under government rules, it is the constitutional responsibility of the government to withdraw the facilities attached to the post after the post ceases to exist and there is no political malice in it.
This phase is being considered very challenging for Anant Singh, who once won a landslide victory in Bihar politics even after fighting as an independent. On one hand, they are struggling with legal complications, on the other hand, this hat-trick action of JDU has given a big blow to their political base. After the notice to vacate the government bungalow, it will be very interesting to see what is the next political step of Neelam Devi and Anant Singh. Will they challenge this decision of the government in the court or will they openly challenge JDU by joining a new political party before the upcoming elections? A period of speculation regarding this matter has started in the political circles of Patna and this controversy may gain more importance in the coming days.