Mohammad Taslimuddin and Babulal Marandi

RJD chief Lalu Prasad may have been overstaying in an official bungalow in the Lutyen’s on health grounds but one of his commanders, Mohammad Taslimuddin, has got embroiled in a fight over a similar facility with former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi.

According to sources, a Type-7 bungalow in Balwant Rai Mehta Lane in central Delhi — meant for senior MPs — had been allocated to Marandi for the past 10 years but since he did not fight the 2014 Lok Sabha election and is no more an MP, he was asked to vacate it on May 31.

Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief Marandi did not evict the bungalow but the housing committee, led by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, which is now responsible for allotting houses to MPs in Delhi allotted the same bungalow to 75-year-old Taslimuddin, a five-time MP from Bihar who is also the leader of RJD in Lok Sabha.

Taslimuddin on Wednesday sent his men to the bungalow who shouted slogans and demanded that the place be immediately vacated. They returned after employees assured them that they would leave the premises soon.

“I received the allocation letter on July 23 but when I wanted to shift, I was told that the residence is still occupied by Marandi. Subsequently, I found out that Marandi does not even live there and his sidekicks have found a perfect place for their lounging sessions. What is even worse is that even as the Centre is using all its force to get the bungalow evicted by farmers’ leader Ajit Singh, it is least interested in my complaint,” the septuagenarian leader said.

He said no force or pressure was being used against Marandi because of political reasons. “Who knows, the BJP and the JVM are doing some political deal ahead of the state Assembly elections and that’s why the government is so soft on him. I had even approached Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu but nothing has happened so far,” the Araria MP said. Jharkhand has to have a new House by January 2015.

Marandi was not available for comments but his aide insisted that he was not a “squatter”. “We will vacate the premises next month. Marandiji’s mother is sick and she comes here every fortnight for treatment. We have requested the government to grant us some more time till we find a good accommodation. We have zeroed in on a house in south Delhi but it is not ready. We will move out as soon as we can,” said a man, present in Marandi’s bungalow.