Kamal Nath Re-Allots Bungalow to Digvijay Singh He Earlier Vacated

MP High Court had last year forbidden the government from allotting official residences to former chief ministers.

(Photo altered by The Quint)

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday, 19 December said that his government has allotted official residences to Digvijay Singh and Shivraj Singh Chouhan as per the rules.

Nath was speaking to the media after chairing a meeting at the state police headquarters with top police officers.

“Digvijay Singh and Shivraj Singh have been allotted government residences according to the rules,” he said to a question.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had last year forbidden the government from allotting government residences to former chief ministers. The court had directed the government to get such bungalows vacated.

Digvijay Singh, former Congress chief minister, had consequently vacated his bungalow at Shyamla Hills, but now the new Congress government has reallotted him the same bungalow in his capacity as a Rajya Sabha member.

The government has also allotted Chouhan, Nath's predecessor as chief minister, a huge bungalow in the heart of Bhopal as he is an MLA.

Earlier the bungalow was in the possession of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj, who recently announced that she would not contest the 2019 election.

Chouhan, while he was chief minister for 13 years, had retained his government accommodation in Bhopal allotted to him when he was a member of the Lok Sabha, though he lived in the chief minister’s bungalow at Shyamla Hills.

Nath himself is in possession of a government bungalow in the city which he got as an MP.