Patna (The Hawk): As the leaders of the ruling Mahagatbandhan and the BJP engaged in a dispute over a house in Bihar, VIP President Mukesh Sahani joined the fray on Monday, criticising BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal for speaking in a "unrefined" (or "Sadak Chap") manner.
"Despite being the state president of such a large party, he made comments that were akin to those of a "Sadak Chap" party leader. He is acting like a hoodlum, or "road side goonda." "said Sahani.
Sahani's tenure as an MLC expired six months ago, but the Bihar government hasn't given him notice to leave his official house, according to a previous assertion by Jaiswal that he works for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"Mukesh Sahani lives in the government bungalow even though he holds no official positions because he is working under Nitish Kumar's guidance. Following his appointment as the NDA government's Minister of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Sahani received the bungalow "said he.
Sahani unexpectedly gained attention after he nominated Nilabh Kumar, a member of the upper caste (Bhumihar), to run in the Kurhani by-election scheduled for next month. A little over 40,000 Bhumihars and over 30,000 members of the Mallah group are registered voters. Sahani, who calls himself the "son of a Mallah," has a strong following in his neighbourhood, but it's anticipated the VIP candidate would erode the BJP's traditional Bhumihar support base. Sahani was included on the list of saffron leaders' targets due to this.
After serving notices to former Speaker Vijay Sinha and two former Deputy Chief Ministers Tar Kishore Prasad and Renu Devi to leave their houses, the Building Construction Ministry in Bihar ignited the entire controversy. Additionally, the ministry levied them a punishment of Rs 2.30 lakh. Renu Devi responded to the notification by asserting that she was unable to leave the bungalow since the state government had not yet given her the apartment.
Danish Rizwan, the head of the HAM, claimed that although BJP leaders were protesting the action, the same party had expelled Chirag Paswan, the leader of the LJP-Ram Vilas, from his Delhi residence. They "forgot how they tossed the pictures of Ram Vilas Paswan and Baba Sahab Bhim Rao Ambedkar on the road," he claimed.
In Bihar, the bungalow row is nothing new. When Tejashwi Yadav served as the Mahagatbandhan government's Deputy Chief Minister from 2015 to 2017, he resided at the 5 Deshratna Marg home, whose interiors he had renovated for additional amenities and comfort. Tejashwi Yadav had received notice to leave the home from the same Building Construction ministry when Nitish Kumar severed ties with the RJD and joined forces with the BJP to establish the government. It had also assessed him a fine. He had left the bungalow and was heading toward the court.
According to sources, the RJD is currently evicting former Deputy CM Prasad from the same mansion at 5 Deshratna Marg as retaliation against the BJP.
(Inputs from Agencies)