Bihar CM Nitish Kumar 'snooping' by installing camera near my residence: Tejashwi Yadav

Patna, Nov 15: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav Thursday accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of "snooping" by installing a powerful CCTV camera atop a boundary wall of the CM residence near his bungalow. Leader of opposition in the state assembly, Yadav's 5, Desh Ratna Marg bungalow is just behind Kumar's 7, Circular road, house in Patna.

The official residence of the chief minister is 1, Anney Marg. Posting a photograph of the CCTV camera on his Twitter handle, Yadav asked, "Why the chief minister felt the need for the camera only on the wall bordering his political adversary."

The chief minister's residence has main roads on three sides and Yadav's bungalow is across the fourth boundary wall. "Bihar chief minister's residence is surrounded by main roads from three sides and leader of opposition's residence from the fourth side. "But, the chief minister felt the need for CCTV only on the wall bordering his political adversary's residence. Someone should tell him that these petty tricks will prove futile," Yadav, the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, tweeted.

In his tweets, he accused Kumar of "snooping and interfering with the privacy of a neighbour and having an obsession with luxury and grandeur besides using invectives like autocratic and insecure". The ruling JD(U) in Bihar hit back at Yadav, saying he "seems to be worked up over the possibility of his hobnobbing with criminals getting exposed". Yadav, was allotted the 5, Desh Ratna Marg, residence when he was deputy chief minister in the Grand Alliance government in Bihar. But, he continues to occupy it despite notices to vacate it in favour of incumbent Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

The Patna High Court has also dismissed Yadav's petition challenging the evacuation notices. Kumar after stepping down for a brief period after the drubbing in the last general election had been allotted the 7, Circular Road, house, which is adjacent to the Chief Ministers' official residence 1, Anney Marg.

After returning as chief minister, the JD (U) chief, retained the bungalow on Circular Road. Reacting to the outbursts of the RJD leader, JD(U) spokesman Sanjay Singh said, "Tejashwi Yadav seems to be worked up over the possibility of his hobnobbing with criminals getting exposed." "There is no other reason why he should get so agitated over a CCTV camera being installed on a boundary wall. It has not been installed in his bedroom.

"Moreover, he should try to acquire some knowledge so that he could at least come out with his own tweets. He has not even completed high school and we are certain that someone is ghost-writing on his behalf," he said. There has been no official word on why and upon whose instructions the CCTV camera was installed. Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, who recently joined the JD(U) and had a meteoric rise with elevation to the post of national vice-president within a month of being inducted to the party, also operates from this bungalow.

PTI