Patna, Oct 25 (IANS): Bihar Building Construction Department has asked the National President of Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) Pashupati Kumar Paras to vacate a government bungalow in Patna within seven days.

The bungalow, situated at 1 Wheeler Road, was originally allocated to the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in 2006. Following the party's split in 2021, Pashupati Kumar Paras, leader of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) took over the residence, asserting that five MPs supported his faction. RLJP subsequently became part of the alliance in the Modi government's second tenure.

However, after the 2024 general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allotted five seats to Chirag Paswan’s faction, the Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas (LJPRV), all of which were successfully won by the party.

LJPRV, now an alliance partner with BJP in the Modi government, also saw Chirag Paswan appointed as a Union Minister, adding further legitimacy to his faction over the RLJP.

A notice, issued by Sanjay Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary of the Building Construction Department, references the bungalow’s original 2006 allocation to the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) as an office space.

Previously, the Deputy Secretary and Land Property Officer urged the Joint Secretary to initiate vacating procedures, leading to an initial 15-day notice period. Despite this, RLJP did not vacate, asserting that their petition to remain in the property is pending in the Patna High Court.

However, the Building Construction Department maintains that there is no court-issued stay on the eviction, reinforcing the October 21 deadline for RLJP to leave the bungalow.

The government clarified that the bungalow allocation was explicitly for LJP, not RLJP, nullifying the latter’s right to occupy it. With only seven days granted from the order’s receipt to vacate, the department has threatened forced eviction if RLJP does not comply.