Patna Oct 7 : Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav is facing allegations of replacing new air conditioners (ACs) with old ones while vacating his previous official residence at 5 Deshratna Marg here.

He recently shifted to his new residence at 1 Polo Road, and this issue has sparked a political controversy.

Neeraj Kumar, a JD-U MLC, raised concerns about Tejashwi vacating the house after an extended period of seven months and highlighted the allegations made by officials from Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary's office.

The allegations claim that the workers associated with Tejashwi Yadav replaced the new AC units in the government bungalow with older ones.

Neeraj Kumar questioned the moral standards behind such actions.

"If the allegations are true, then it is a matter of serious concern over the misuse of government property funded by taxpayer's money. The government bungalows and their facilities are public assets, and any misuse reflects poorly on political standards," the JD(U) MLC said.

"I want to appeal to Samrat Chaudhary to take the matter seriously and ensure that proper action is taken if the allegations are substantiated. The incident, if proven, would mark a new low in Bihar's political landscape as it involves a potential misappropriation of government resources for personal gain," he added.

This development has added fuel to the already charged political atmosphere in Bihar, where opposition leaders like Tejashwi Yadav are frequently under scrutiny by rivals from the JD(U) and BJP.

Giriraj Singh, a Union Minister in PM Narendra Modi's government, expressed strong concern over the allegations that Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar's Leader of the Opposition (LoP), replaced new ACs with old ones when vacating his official bungalow at 5 Deshratna Marg in Patna.

The Union Minister termed it a "petty act," particularly for someone with aspirations to become the Chief Minister of Bihar.

"The state government should initiate a thorough investigation about the expenses incurred on Tejashwi's former ministerial bungalow and identify any further irregularities," the Minister said.

The controversy centers on 5 Deshratna Marg, which was initially allotted to Tejashwi Yadav during his term as the Deputy Chief Minister under the previous 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) government.

After the political shift, Tejashwi became the Bihar LoP, and the state government subsequently allocated him the official residence at 1 Polo Road.

The 5 Deshratna Marg bungalow has been reassigned to the current Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Chaudhary.

/IANS