RJD supremo Lalu Yadav has advocated to abolish the princely practice of providing post-retirement government-accommodations to former presidents, vice-presidents, prime ministers. Several former presidents never availed this facility and spent their post-retirement life in personal residences. On the contrary, several others like former prime minister IK Gujaral is availing type-VIII government bungalow despite owning huge properties in posh areas of New Delhi, when he was a prime minister for only a year. However, Lalu Yadav should make similar demand for retired chief ministers of states as well.

Spokesperson of union ministry of external affairs (MEA) has tried to justify grandchildren and other family members and friends of president Pratibha Patil accompanying her on foreign tours, saying these are international practice followed in the USA and Pakistan. But then the practice of not providing post-retirement government accommodation to a retired US president should also be followed. It is indeed unfortunate that the MEA spokesperson is comparing Indian democracy with that of Pakistan.