New room coming up at Rabri’s Patna residence for Lalu

PATNA

Preparations are afoot at the sprawling 10, Circular road bungalow in Patna, allotted to former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, ahead of the imminent return of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, who has been away from the state since his conviction fodder scam cases and subsequent incarceration in December 2017, party sources said.

A new room is coming up at the bungalow and will be equipped with medical facilities and a visitors’ enclosure for Prasad, who has been undergoing treatment for several ailments in New Delhi, where he is currently staying at his daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti’s official residence.

Party insiders said the new room is being constructed at the ground floor of the main house inside the bungalow where there will be adequate medical facilities, a doctor’s enclosure, one medical bed and a separate visitors’ enclosure for Lalu Prasad once he returns to Patna, possibly in October.

The bungalow is allotted in the name of Rabri Devi in her capacity as the leader of the opposition in the state’s Legislative Council, sources said.

A party source said the new constructions would take another 10-15 days to complete.

Prasad, who has also served railway minister and Bihar’s chief minister, was released from jail on bail in April this year while undergoing treatment at AIIMS in New Delhi.

“Previously, Laluji used to stay on the first floor of the main house, but now he has been advised against climbing stairs. So the ground floor is preferable,” said Bhola Yadav, RJD’s ’ national general secretary and a close aide of the 74-year-old Prasad.

“We are hoping Laluji will return back by end of October. It will all depend on the suggestions of doctors attending to him in New Delhi and decision by family members,” said Yadav.

RJD chief’s family doctor in Patna, Dr S K Sinha, could not be reached for comments.

A frail looking RJD chief has been seen in public quite a few times in recent months and has interacted with the party workers through video conferencing, including on RJD’s foundation day event on July 11.

“We are hoping that RJD chief would be in Patna during the Chhath festival, which has been a big event in the his family for years,”said another RJD leader.