The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at Misa Bharti’s residence in Sainik Farms in New Delhi on 8 July, a day after the CBI raided her father, RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Bharti, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, is being probed for alleged corruption. According to reports, the ED raids are currently underway in three locations in New Delhi.
The CBI on Friday registered a case against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, their son Tejaswi – the deputy chief minister of Bihar – and others on allegations of awarding tender for hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.
The investigative agency carried out searches at 10 Circular Road, the residence of Yadav and a former MD of IRCTC, according to PTI sources.
Searches were conducted at 12 locations, including Delhi, Patna, Ranchi, Puri and Gurgaon.
Raids Orchestrated by BJP: Lalu
On 7 July, Yadav said that the CBI raids were a “BJP conspiracy, witch hunt”. He added that he has done nothing wrong and was open to any probe.
The RJD chief alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah "orchestrated" the CBI raids to "politically finish" him.
He added that he has done nothing wrong so he and his party will not cower down to the Centre.
Can you find any wrong tender I gave as Railway Minister? I am ready to take any punishment if you can find something. I am not guilty and I have not done anything wrong. I am ready to get decimated, but I will not rest till Modi’s government is removed.Lalu Prasad Yadav
The CBI raids have been orchestrated by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to finish me politically.Lalu Prasad Yadav
He further added that will make sure to unite the Opposition against the BJP.
Tejaswi Calls a News Channel ‘Anti-National’
Prasad was flanked by his son Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav and senior party leader and minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui at the press conference at 10 Circular Road.
During the press conference, Tejaswi shouted at a reporter of a newly-launched English news channel for coming to the event when they are boycotting it.
He also called the channel "anti-national" but was shushed by Prasad who was heard telling his son, "Why are you making news for them?" Lalu said he would make public the entire issue at the 27 August rally of the party and give a call for the ouster of the BJP.
The RJD leader asked what was found which made authorities raid his properties.
Raids Conducted at 12 Locations
10 Circular Road was in news throughout the day as CBI raids there started early in morning. The investigating agency's team had, however, left the place before Lalu arrived from Ranchi where he had gone to appear in a case related to the fodder scam.
The CBI conducted raids across four cities. The raids started at 7 pm and were conducted in 12 locations in Patna, including the official residence of Rabri Devi, Ranchi, Gurgaon and Bhubaneswar.
RJD legislators and supporters kept flocking outside the residence during the day to protest raids.
The case has been registered against Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and his son Tejashwi, the then IRCTC MD PK Goyal, wife of Yadav’s confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sarla, and others, CBI sources said. Gupta is a former Union corporate affairs minister.
Sources said the FIR relates to allegations of irregularities in the tender for development, maintenance and operation of BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri, awarded to the private Sujata Hotels in 2006.
The BNR Hotels are heritage hotels of the Railways, which were taken over by the IRCTC from the public transporter earlier in the same year.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)
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