Lalu Prasad Yadav has landed in a huge land scam in some of the most luxurious enclaves of the union capital, thanks to his daughter and son-in-law.
According to an expose done by Times Now, the land was purchased at Delhi’s Tony Sainik farms and Bijwasan luxury farm enclave under the name of Lalu’s eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar under highly suspicious circumstances. The land transactions are reminiscent of the modus operandi followed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra.
Lalu’s daughter and his son-in-law had allegedly acquired a farmhouse at Bijwasan, near IGI airport, at a throwaway price of Rs 1.41 crore through mysterious business entities. Going by current commercial rates, the property should fetch anything between Rs 40-50 crore.
Further, the couple also reportedly acquired a farmhouse at Sainik Farms after an intriguing transaction with the owner.
In 2008-09, Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd, one of the companies together owned by Lalu’s daughter and son-in-law had purchased a farmhouse at 26 Palam Farms in Bijwasan for Rs 1.41 crore. The funds for the purchase of the land were arranged through sale of 1,20,000 shares of Rs 10 each in Mishail Packers at a premium of Rs 90. Within less than a year, the shares were reportedly purchased back by Misa and her husband at Rs 1 or Rs 2.
It is interesting to note that the Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd was registered on December, 2002, at the address 25, Tuglak Road, New Delhi, which was the then official residence of Rajya Sabha member Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Misa and Shailesh – Lalu’s daughter and his son-in-law – allegedly used another front company called KHK Holdings to ‘buy’ the 2.8 acre farmhouse at H 27/1 Sainik Farms. The company was originally owned by alleged hawala operator Vivek Nagpal, who had reportedly transferred 10,000 shares to the couple at a price of mere Rs 1 lakh.
The revelations come following Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi’s allegations that Lalu Prasad used Mumbai-based AB Exports Pvt Ltd, as a “front company” to acquire prime residential property for his family members in one of the posh localities of Delhi. Stating that AB Exports was used as a shell company for purchasing properties only to be “acquired” by Prasad’s family along with assets later, Modi said “the quid pro quo behind the deals must be investigated to unravel the truth.”
Lalu Prasad’s family is also at the centre of another land scam – Patna zoo soil scam. Lalu’s son Tej Pratap Yadav, the incumbent Forests Minister of Bihar, had awarded a Rs 90-lakh contract in Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, also know known as Patna zoo, for earth-filling and construction of pathways work to a company named MS Enterprises in which the minister, his siblings and mother are shareholders.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Modi alleged that it was Lalu Prasad who influenced Patna zoo soil deal. Modi claims that the soil worth Rs 90 lakh was purchased by the zoo for construction of a pathway from MS Enterprises without floating any tender.
The BJP leader demanded a detailed probe and said that the investigation should look into all the aspects of soil purchase deal.
The Nitish Kumar government has been under tremendous pressure ever since the scam came to the light. On 6 April, Bihar chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh ordered an investigation into the scam.
A series of scams and mounting allegations of corruption against Lalu Prasad will have a big impact on the RJD-JDU coalition, political observers believe.
The Supreme Court, on May 8, had revived criminal conspiracy charges against the RJD chief in fodder scam cases. Lalu Yadav will be tried separately in each of the four fodder scam cases. Of the 55 cases filed in connection with the fodder scam, Lalu is an accused in five cases. The cases are at their various stages of trial.
The Supreme Court order came at a time when Lalu Prasad is in a tight spot after he was shown in an audio conversation with Mohammad Shahabuddin. In the audio tape, aired on Republic TV, the mafia don is heard passing on instructions to the RJD chief from the comfort zone of the jail.
