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Sanjay Singh, Patna. Amidst the political controversy over government accommodation in Bihar, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has given such a statement, which is being considered not just a political reaction but a public message of his thinking towards power and public life. While addressing a program organized in Sheikhpura, the Chief Minister clearly said that he is neither attached to the chair nor to the government bungalow. The day the party leadership decides that his responsibility is over, he will vacate the government residence within 24 hours and go to his personal home.

This statement of the Chief Minister has come at a time when the phase of allegations and counter-allegations regarding government residences is going on in the politics of Bihar. There is continuous rhetoric between the ruling party and the opposition regarding the use of government facilities. In such an environment, Samrat Choudhary tried to convey the message through his address that in a democracy, positions and facilities are not permanent, rather service to the public is the biggest responsibility of any public representative.

This is not the residence of the Chief Minister, but of a public servant.

In his address, the Chief Minister said that when he had entered the government residence after assuming the post of Chief Minister, he had clearly told the officials that this building is not the house of any particular person but is a center of service to the public. He said that it should be written outside the residence that it is ‘the residence of a public servant’, so that people get the message that the person living here is a public servant and not the owner.

He said that the biggest beauty of democracy is that here power and government resources are not the inheritance of any individual. One gets the post due to public trust and when the time comes one has to leave it. Those who start considering government properties as private rights, weaken the spirit of democratic values.

Mentioned experiences of political life

Referring to his long political career, the Chief Minister said that he has performed many important responsibilities. Despite holding important positions like Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister, he never considered government residence as a symbol of prestige. He said that till now in politics he has lived in many government houses and the present house is the eleventh government house in his life.

Samrat Chaudhary said that if a person can take a new government residence every time he changes his post and can leave it when the time comes, then there is no justification for having any special attachment towards any one bungalow. He said that politics is a medium of service, not of accumulating wealth.

A sharp jibe at the opposition without naming them

The most talked about part of the Chief Minister’s speech was when he targeted the opposition without naming any leader. He said that the politics of some leaders revolves more around government houses than the problems of the public. Such people are more concerned about who will live in which bungalow than development, employment, education and health. He sarcastically said that some families want a separate house for their son, separate arrangements for other family members and they consider government facilities as their right. Whereas his government believes that government resources should be used for public service and administrative needs.

Political analysts believe that this statement of the Chief Minister has come in the background of the recent controversy over the official residence of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi. Although he did not take anyone’s name, his signals are being considered as a direct political message towards the opposition.

Public trust is the biggest position

Samrat Chaudhary said that in democracy the people are the supreme power. Any public representative reaches office only with the trust of the public and remains accountable to the same public. Therefore, the identity of a leader is not determined by his government bungalow, security arrangements or government facilities, but by his acceptance and functioning among the public. He said that the people of Bihar have given the mandate for development and good governance and his government is working in the same direction. Continuous efforts are being made in the fields of roads, education, health, employment and infrastructure. The government’s aim is not to get entangled in political controversies but to take the state to new heights of development.

The statement became a topic of discussion in political circles.

This statement of the Chief Minister has now become a topic of discussion in political circles. On one hand, it is being considered as a message of simplicity and accountability from the ruling party, while on the other hand, the opposition may call it a political attack. But it is certain that amidst the government housing controversy, Samrat Chaudhary has tried to give a clear indication through his statement that being in power does not mean clinging to government facilities, but serving the public.

His message given from the meeting in Sheikhpura can give rise to a new debate in the politics of Bihar in the coming days. Through his address, the Chief Minister tried to convey that in a democracy, government bungalows keep changing, but public trust and responsibility of public service is the biggest asset of a leader.