Tejashwi Yadav hits back at Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary over bungalow eviction and security downgrade

The Leader of Opposition calls the recent administrative actions a "cheap" political distraction as tensions flare over the former first family’s residence.

The air at Patna airport was thick with political posturing on Tuesday as Tejashwi Yadav returned from New Delhi, launching a searing broadside against Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. At the heart of the latest standoff is the state government’s decision to withdraw Z+ security for former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, coupled with a 15-day ultimatum for Ms. Devi to vacate her long-held government bungalow at 10, Circular Road.

For the RJD, the optics of the situation have already escalated. Over the weekend, party workers were spotted guarding the gates of the Circular Road residence, armed with sticks, after the former CMs pointedly returned the substitute security cover provided by the Bihar Special Armed Police. Mr. Yadav, however, dismissed the security downgrade and the eviction notice as mere theatre, insisting his family is not intimidated by the state’s tactical maneuvering.

“He may have become the Chief Minister, but he is a ‘Cheap Minister’,” Mr. Yadav said, taking aim at Mr. Choudhary. He framed the administrative push as a calculated distraction from the mounting crises facing the state, pointing to empty coffers, unpaid salaries for legislators, and a spike in local crime rates. For the RJD leader, the bungalow row is a deliberate attempt to force a public debate on peripheral issues while systemic governance failures—ranging from crumbling infrastructure to daily reports of dacoity and gang rape—go unaddressed.

The bigger picture: Why it matters

This confrontation signals a deepening rift in Bihar’s volatile political landscape. By framing the government’s actions as "political vendetta," the RJD is attempting to shift the narrative from their loss of power to the alleged moral and administrative bankruptcy of the current administration. The move to reclaim government property and recalibrate security protocols is a standard tool for a new government to stamp its authority, but in Bihar, such actions are rarely interpreted as routine. They are viewed through the lens of a long-standing power struggle, where every administrative notice is read as a signal of intent to dismantle the political footprint of the previous regime.

For the ruling coalition, the challenge lies in maintaining the momentum of their governance agenda while effectively countering the RJD’s narrative of a "selected" rather than "elected" leadership. As the government presses ahead with the eviction notice, the incident has effectively turned 10, Circular Road into a flashpoint. Whether this results in a legal battle or a wider political agitation remains to be seen, but the intensity of the rhetoric suggests that the cold war between the state leadership and the opposition is only beginning to heat up.