Lalu Prasad Yadav Grilled For Over 2 Hours By CBI In Land-For-Jobs Scam

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday questioned RJD chief and former railway minister Lalu Prasad for more than two hours in connection with the land-for-jobs case. The CBI team left the residence of Lalu Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti’s residence after questioning the RJD chief. RJD supremo's questioning was entirely video-graphed and all safety protocols were followed by the CBI officials as the ailing Bihar politician faces a risk of infection, said reports.

Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti was present during the questioning. According to the CBI, people were allegedly given jobs in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold at cheap rates to the Yadav family and associates when Lalu Yadav was Railway Minister.

 

#UPDATE | Delhi: The CBI team that arrived at the residence of RJD MP Misa Bharti to question the party chief and her father Lalu Prasad Yadav, leaves.

Yadav was questioned in connection with the land-for-job case. pic.twitter.com/1pdWsQGkqy

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2023

 

The questing of the RJD supremo comes a day after his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi was quizzed at her Patna residence by the agency for nearly five hours.

A team of five CBI officials arrived in two cars at 10.40 AM at the residence of Misha Bharti in Pandara Park on Tuesday morning where the Bihar politician is currently residing to question him in connection with the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already filed a chargesheet in the case against Prasad, Rabri Devi and 14 others under charges of criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, in which all the accused have been summoned on March 15. 

The CBI officials said that a fresh round of questioning is taking place as part of "further investigation" where the investigation agency is trying to ascertain the money trail and larger conspiracy.

The fresh questioning of ailing Prasad, who was convicted in a fodder scam, and his wife had evoked sharp criticism from opposition parties on Monday. Prasad's son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav termed the CBI action a result of his family's "relentless opposition" to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"It is an open secret that probe agencies are acting against political opponents of the BJP and helping those who agree to align with that party," the RJD leader told reporters outside the Bihar Assembly on Monday.

Tejashwi Yadav said as the then railway minister, Prasad, had "no powers" to give employment in exchange for favours. He got support from Congress and the AAP which targeted the central government alleging that the saffron party wanted to "suppress" the voice of the opposition.

"Today Rabri Devi Ji is being harassed. Lalu Prasad ji and his family have been harassed for years because they did not bow down," Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted.

AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said targeting and harassing opposition leaders is wrong. The CBI had recently arrested the then Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy scam case.