... they moved out

Geetanjali Gayatri  in Chandigarh

In the state that gave Aaya Rams and Gaya Rams to Indian politics, it may sound incredible but Haryana’s politicians have hardly any track record of over-staying in government accommodation once they are out of power.

They prefer to vacate their official residences soon after losing power and position. The previous Congress government and its leaders are a case in point. Most of the Cabinet ministers, including the then Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, moved out of their bungalows right after the BJP government was sworn in October 2014. Those who stayed on till they made alternative arrangements did so only for the permitted time, preferring to steer clear of any notices or penal rent that could have been imposed.

Under a Cabinet decision, Hooda, who was allotted a house in Sector 7 in his capacity of a former minister, vacated it immediately after the new BJP government in the state decided to withdraw such a facility. Nearly four months back, leader of the opposition and INLD leader Abhay Chautala also vacated his official residence, allotted in Sector 19, and moved into a newly constructed flat meant for MLAs despite his entitlement.  

Notwithstanding the “notoriety” the Haryana politicians have earned with their political games, it goes to the credit of successive government that most leaders have chosen not to hold on to government accommodation though there have been a couple of stray instances of the same.

However, in January 2014, during the second term of the Congress government under Hooda, three former ministers and two chief parliamentary secretaries had overstayed in government accommodation and invited penalty running over Rs 80 lakh. Later, two of these three ministers were inducted into the Cabinet and the penal rent was on account of their delayed induction in the second term. 

Hooda, the then Chief Minister, in his magnanimity, decided to waive the penal rent and other charges of ministers and chief parliamentary secretaries by taking the matter to the Cabinet. Another minister, who was dropped from the Cabinet after a criminal case was filed against him, continued to stay on in his official residence and invited a huge penalty. However, despite these cases that are few and far between, Haryana has never had to resort to evictions or other unceremonious ways to get official accommodations vacated.