The official bungalow of Legislative Council member Ganga Prasad at 11 Strand Road in Patna. Picture by Ashok Sinha

With the marriage season starting Saturday, celebrations at the official bungalows of Bihar leaders are set to begin once again.

Some MLAs and MLCs, both from the ruling and the opposition parties, don a “generous and philanthropic” mantle in the wedding season, especially if their acquaintances are tying the knot.

Senior BJP leader and MLC Ganga Prasad, JD(U) leader and MLC Ramashray Prasad Singh and BJP MLA from Nokha Rameshwar Chourasia are a few leaders who allow people known to them use their official bungalows for marriage ceremonies. The leaders, however, claim they allow such ceremonies as an act of goodwill rather than for any commercial gain.

The building construction department has set regulations regarding the public use of official bungalows of legislators. An official at the department said: “There is no harm if any minister, MLA or MLC provides his official bungalow for social gatherings, provided the leader concerned doesn’t collect money for the event.”

MLC Ganga Prasad, who lives in his ancestral house on Ashiana Road, provides his official bungalow at 11 Strand Road to people he is familiar with.

Prasad said: “Political leaders have some social responsibility. Whenever any person whom I know approaches me seeking permission to use a portion of the bungalow for holding functions such as marriage, I say yes.”

On being asked if he charges money for such functions, Prasad said: “There is no question of taking money as it is a charitable and philanthropic act.”

Rameshwar Chourasia was also involved in such “philanthropic” acts till last year. Now he has decided against allowing weddings at his official bungalow at 25 Strand Road.

Chourasia told The Telegraph: “Every year during the marriage season, ministers, friends and even some journalists used to approach me seeking permission to use my official bungalow for holding social functions. Last year, someone complained to the building construction department that I was misusing my bungalow. Though no action was taken against me, I stopped providing my bungalow for such functions.”

Chourasia cited another reason for stopping the public use of his bungalow. “People used to create a clutter on the premises and I had to spend money from my pocket to get it cleaned. This was another reason I stopped accepting requests for hosting social functions at my bungalow.”

The trend of allowing public functions at official bungalows is not new. Even during the RJD regime, ministers, MLAs and MLCs used to provide their bungalows for social functions to persons whom they knew.

RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ramkripal Yadav said: “There is no harm in any leader providing their official bungalow to persons they know for social gathering, as we leaders have a responsibility towards society.”