Tejashwi Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) politician and deputy chief minister of Bihar, was called in by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday for interrogation in the land-for-jobs case. He has received a summons in connection with the matter twice, the first being on February 4. However, reports mention that Yadav will not appear before the CBI today as his pregnant wife has been hospitalised following the ED raids.
The wife of the Dy CM is said to have fainted due to BP problems after twelve hours of ED interrogation on Friday. “Yadav was earlier called for questioning on March 4 but he had not appeared before the CBI sleuths, following which a fresh date was given for Saturday,” the officials confirmed. According to the reports, the case pertains to people allegedly given employment in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold at cheap rates to the Yadav family and its associates.
The summons was issued to Tejasvi Yadav after the ED on Friday raided 15 places of Lalu Yadav’s close associates in Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, and Patna. These include Tejashwi Yadav’s house in Delhi and the residences of Lalu’s three daughters Hema, Ragini, and Chanda. Apart from these, the Ghaziabad residence of Lalu’s brother-in-law Jitendra Yadav was also raided. The ED, during the raids, seized Rs 53 lakh, US$ 1,900, 540 grams of gold, and 1.5 kg of gold jewellery.
Previously, as part of a money laundering investigation into a purported “land-for-jobs” case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched 24 places, including Yadav’s Delhi home, other locations in the national capital area, Patna, Ranchi, and Mumbai.
Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, two former chief ministers of Bihar, were also questioned by the CBI on Monday in this regard in Delhi and Patna. “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,” Tejashwi Yadav had stated earlier on his parents being questioned on the case.
In the case involving Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, and 14 other people, the CBI has already submitted a charge sheet alleging criminal conspiracy and violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Lalu Prasad and the other defendants were given the notice to appear before a Delhi court on March 15 after receiving a summons last month.
Bhola Yadav, who served as Lalu Prasad’s officer on special duty while he was the railway minister, as well as Hridayanand Chaudhary, a railway employee and alleged beneficiary of the scandal, and Dharmendra Rai, a second alleged beneficiary, have all been detained by the CBI so far in connection with the case.
In conjunction with the investigation, the agency also has searched roughly two dozen places in August of last year.
