PATNA: Over six months after he ceased to be a Bihar minister, RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav has said he vacated his official bungalow last week as CM Nitish Kumar had let loose ghosts to haunt him out of it.The bungalow — 3, Deshratna Marg — was allotted to Tej after he became the health minister in the Nitish Kumar-led alliance government following the October-November 2015 election. The Grand Alliance of RJD, JD (U) and Congress had won 178 assembly seats in the House of 243, restricting the main rival BJP to 53.Around 20 months on, Nitish parted ways with the two allies and formed government in alliance with the BJP on July 27 last year. In August, the state building construction department (BCD) sent notices to the former RJD and Congress ministers, asking them to vacate their official bungalows.The new government, however, spared the then state Congress president, Ashok Choudhary, who had also ceased to be the state education minister. He continues to live in the official Polo Road bungalow till date.Asked why he took over six months to vacate the bungalow, Tej told reporters on Sunday, “In fact, I decided to vacate the bungalow because Nitish and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi had released ghosts in it. The ghosts were haunting me.”Tej, incidentally, is known for his hyper-religious and superstitious beliefs. Sources close to him recalled a ‘dushman maaran jaap' (chant of hymns to eliminate enemies) was organised at his bungalow in June last year when the central agencies were probing corruption charges against his family. He is also said to have got the bungalow’s south-facing gate shut for good on the advice of vastu experts.RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav said Tej decided to vacate the accommodation after receiving a second notice. An RJD source said the second notice in October last year had warned Tej of heavy penalty amounting to 15 times of the rent for the period of unauthorised stay.However, BCD minister Maheshwar Hazari pleaded ignorance. “My department has not been informed by Tej that he has vacated the accommodation,” he told TOI on Tuesday.According to fresh arrangements, deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi was to shift from his 1, Polo Road residence to 5, Deshratna Marg bungalow, which was allotted to Tej Pratap’s younger brother Tejashwi Prasad after he had become the deputy CM in 2015.Currently leader of opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi has not vacated the bungalow and written to the BCD to allow him to stay in it.

Stay updated with all the Latest Patna headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.