Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is known to have an unblemished reputation as a politician, earning him the name of sushasan babu (the man of good governance). However, an investigation by The Wire Hindi has revealed that his son, Nishant Kumar, has received a lavish house as a gift from Rajiv Ranjan 'Lalan' Singh, a senior leader from Nitish's Janata Dal (United), and a Union minister.

This opulent residence, built like a penthouse, is located at the top floor of the Shiv Radhika Complex, a multi-storey building located near Bailey Road, an upscale area in ​​Patna.

This gift deed was officially registered on January 15, 2024, merely three months prior to the last Lok Sabha elections. At the time of presenting this expensive gift to the son of his party supremo, Lalan Singh was a Lok Sabha MP from Munger. He had held this position multiple times in the past. Upon winning the election this time, he was appointed to a ministerial position under the JD(U)'s quota in the Narendra Modi's government. This is Lalan's first cabinet berth at the Union government.

The deed states that Lalan Singh has maintained "extreme love and affection" for Nishant Kumar since his childhood. "Pleased with Nishant's attitude" towards him, Rajiv Ranjan Singh decided to endow him with this property.

Approximately 50 days following this gift, just before the Bihar Legislative Council elections, on March 4, 2024, CM Nitish declared total assets amounting to Rs 16,482,719 in his affidavit. This includes Rs 1.48 crore listed as immovable property and Rs 16.82 lakh of movable property. The affidavit reveals that his annual income for the fiscal year 2022-23 was Rs 492,810.

Records show that Lalan Singh purchased flat number 501 from Babita Singh in 2020. This property was previously sold to Babita Singh by her husband, Sanjay Kumar Sinha, in 2015. Sanjay Sinha serves as the managing director and founder of Nutan Construction, a well-known construction company based in Patna, which undertook the construction of the Shiv Radhika Complex.

Shiv Radhika Complex is situated in Shastri Nagar and flat number 501 is located on the fifth floor of the building. The deed value of this 2,160-square-foot super-built-up residence is estimated to be around Rs 91 lakh. However, experts suggest that its true value is significantly higher. A Patna-based builder, on condition of anonymity, remarked, "It could cost Rs 8,000 per square foot. The market value of flats developed by Nutan Construction, the firm that constructed it, is considerably high in Patna."

Numerous builders indicated that its actual worth might be double the deed price. When The Wire Hindi team visited Shiv Radhika Complex, the building's caretaker mentioned that a flat there is valued at Rs 1.7 crores. The caretaker also stated that Nishant's residence, located on the top floor, is referred to as the "penthouse."

The document states that Lalan owned the apartment personally, and he transferred it to Nishant without any monetary transaction. "I am bestowing this property upon Nishant Kumar out of love and affection, and I no longer possess any rights over it," reads the document.

In addition to this flat, Nishant Kumar has also been granted exclusive access to the rooftop and the adjacent 800-square-foot open terrace. The property further comprises two designated car parking spaces and a 50-square-foot servant room located on the ground floor.

Nishant has also been transferred a proportionate share of the land on which the complex is built, out of a total area of 31.25 decimals (approximately 10 kattha or 13,610 square feet). Nishant's proportionate share of this flat is roughly 700 square feet. As such, Nishant has been gifted 700 square feet of land along with the flat.

This complex houses several high-ranking officials from the Bihar government. Located merely 100 metres away are the Bihar Police Headquarters and the J.D. Women's College. The neighbourhood is home to senior officers, politicians, and MLAs.

Opposite this structure stands another multi-storey building housing the additional secretary of the state government's Information and Technology department. A short distance away are the residences of former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and a deputy secretary of the Bihar government.

'The CM has visited the penthouse four or five times'

According to the guard at the Shiv Radhika Complex, Nishant Kumar frequently visits the house. "Nitish Kumar has visited here four or five times. Nitish also attended the housewarming ceremony of this penthouse about a year ago," he said.

The gifted property raises doubts over Nitish's "honest politician" reputation.

Like Nitish, Lalu Yadav, and other notable leaders from Bihar, Rajiv Ranjan or Lalan Singh emerged from the 1974 JP movement. He has represented Munger as a Lok Sabha MP on three occasions and has also served once as an MP from Begusarai. He was also elected to the Rajya Sabha once. Following his defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he was elected to the Bihar Legislative Council.

Lalan Singh has served as the president of the JD(U)'s Bihar unit and has also been the national president of the party from July 31, 2021 until December 29, 2023. After winning the Munger Lok Sabha seat last year, he assumed the role of a Union minister for the first time. Currently, he holds the portfolios of the Panchayati Raj Welfare Ministry as well as the Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Dairy Industry.

On Lalan Singh's contributions to the region since his appointment as a minister, Ashok, the leader of Kalyanpur Panchayat in the Bariapur block of Munger, told The Wire Hindi, "I have not seen any remarkable efforts made by Lalan Singh since he assumed the role of Union minister. It is not as if he has accomplished any significant work, whether major or minor, in this area for the department he represents."

Away from public life

Nishant is the only son of Nitish Kumar. Nishant's mother, Manju Sinha, passed away almost two decades ago. Nishant stays away from politics and is seldom seen on public platforms. Similar to his father, he is an engineering graduate. He holds a degree in software engineering from the prestigious BIT college in Ranchi. He is believed to have a limited social circle. Nitish has mentioned on several occasions that his son will not participate in politics.

JD(U) national spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told The Wire Hindi, "He is well-educated, having attended BIT. The party members are eager for him to join politics. However, the final decision rests with him."

Lalan Singh came into contact with Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav, during the JP movement in Bihar.

Senior journalist Santosh Singh said, "Following the JP movement, Karpoori Thakur assumed the role of chief minister of Bihar for a second term. JP's niece, Sudha Srivastava, was appointed a state cabinet minister. It was at Srivastava's residence that Nitish Kumar and Lalan Singh first met each other. Subsequently, both Nitish Kumar and Lalan Singh became members of the Lok Dal, a political party led by Chaudhary Charan Singh, which fostered their friendship." In the coming days, the Samata Party was established, drawing Nitish and Lalan further closer.

Lalan Singh has lent his support to Nitish from the early days of the JD(U).

In 2009, Lalan began to distance himself from Nitish, who was facing allegations of misappropriating party funds that year. During this period, he campaigned for the Congress but refrained from formally joining it. One of his statements then had gained significant attention: "Nitish Kumar has teeth in his stomach; we will extract them through surgery."

In 2012, Lalan Singh rejoined Nitish Kumar's camp and they have stayed together to this day.

The Wire Hindi team visited Nishant Kumar's current residence at 1 Anne Marg, Patna – the chief minister's residence as stated in the gift deed – but was unable to reach him. We left a list of questions for CM Nitish, which included inquiries pertaining to the gift deed. We also tried to contact Nishant Kumar through calls and messages to his mobile number, but have not received a reply.

Translated from the Hindi original, which first appeared on The Wire Hindi, by Naushin Rehman.

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