The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday, 20 May, raided residences of senior Bihar politician Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, and their daughters Misa Bharti and Hema in a fresh corruption case.
The central agency conducted searches at 17 properties linked to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president, across multiple locations in Delhi and Bihar.
The searches come in connection with a case registered under Section 120B (a party to a criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and various sections under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI has alleged that Yadav confiscated several properties as bribes in exchange for recruitment in the Railways between 2004 and 2009. This was during his tenure as railway minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Friday's development comes weeks after he was granted bail in a fodder scam case.
There was reportedly heavy police presence outside the Patna residence of Rabri Devi.
Reacting to the news, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Modi told news agency ANI, "When Lalu Yadav was railway minister, he made dozens of people to donate land in return for Group-D jobs to someone else and then used to get it gifted from them to himself after five to six years. This was the modus operandi."
'They Are Parrots': RJD Protests CBI Raids
Meanwhile, in a jibe aimed at the central agency, RJD took to Twitter to say, "Tota hain, Tote ka Kya" (They are parrots, what to do with parrots)."
Workers and leaders belonging to the party protested against the ongoing searches, with Lalu Yadav's brother Prabhunath Yadav saying, "It is unfortunate that a person who is ill is being deliberately troubled like this. It is well known who is behind this."
Meanwhile, RJD legislator Dr Mukesh Roshan said Lalu Yadav is in Delhi and his son and party leader Tejashwi Yadav is also away. "Those in power are targeting Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav because they are aware of their popularity," he alleged.
Another RJD leader Alok Mehta said, "This is an attempt to muzzle a strong voice. CBI's direction and actions are completely biased."
Party leader Manoj Jha also spoke on the raids and expressed, "We were not surprised when we heard of the raid, but we are upset by what the BJP government is doing to our democracy."
Accusing central agencies of carrying out targeted searches at the behest of the Centre, he added, "Tejashwi Yadav began talking of unemployment and caste census. This matter reached other parties of Bihar and when they started coming together, the BJP got scared."
Meanwhile, posters supporting Lalu Prasad Yadav have come up in Patna city.
Doranda Treasury Fodder Scam Case
On 22 April, the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to Yadav in connection with a fodder scam case relating to a fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 139.5 crore from the Doranda treasury in undivided Bihar.
The special CBI court convicted the RJD chief on 21 February and awarded him a five-year jail term. Since then, four hearings were conducted in the court for his bail. He was also fined Rs 60 lakh.
The treasury scam case was the fifth fodder scam case in which Yadav was convicted.
Yadav suffers from multiple health issues, including kidney disease, blood pressure, and lung infection, besides other ailments.
(With inputs from PTI, NDTV, and ANI.)
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