News Analysis India

Tag: land for jobs scam

  • CBI grills Tejaswi while ED questions his sister Misa Bharati in the land for jobs scam

    Express News Service

    RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son and deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejaswi Yadav on Saturday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the land for jobs scam.  Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharati faced the Directorate of Enforcement in connection with the same case.

    Tejaswi Yadav was grilled by CBI sleuths at the agency’s headquarters in Delhi. The central investigating agency is probing the role of Lalu Yadav, the former Railway Minister in the UPA Government, and his kin in the land for jobs scam.

    According to the CBI, job aspirants were offered jobs in the railways when Lalu Yadav was the railways’ minister from 2004 to 2009 in exchange for land allegedly surrendered by them to the Yadav family and their associates.

    Tejaswi was summoned by the agency to appear on March 4 and 11, for questioning in the case but he skipped the summons and had approached the Delhi High Court challenging the action of the agency to call him for questioning. The matter was taken up for hearing on March 16 when Tejaswi through his lawyer agreed to appear before CBI as the agency said that there were no plans to arrest him in the matter. Tejaswi left the CBI office around 8 pm.

    The CBI action was in continuation with the questioning of Lalu Yadav and his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi earlier this month. 

    Lalu Yadav’s daughter Misa, also a Rajya Sabha MP, appeared before the ED officials for questioning on Saturday morning. She left the agency headquarters in the evening. According to sources she has not been given a date yet to reappear before the agency again. She however maintained that she has been assisting with the investigations and would continue to do so.

    The ED’s action is a follow-up on the CBI’s investigation, which is now probing the acquisition of assets by the Yadav family in the wake of the proceeds generated by corrupt practices in wake of the scam.

    Earlier in October last year, CBI had filed a chargesheet against Lalu Prasad, the former railway minister, his wife Rabri Devi and 14 others in connection with an alleged land-for-jobs scam during his tenure in the Railways.

    Lalu’s daughter Misa and a former general manager of the Railways were also named as accused in the charge sheet filed before a special CBI court recently.   

    RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son and deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejaswi Yadav on Saturday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the land for jobs scam.  Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharati faced the Directorate of Enforcement in connection with the same case.

    Tejaswi Yadav was grilled by CBI sleuths at the agency’s headquarters in Delhi. The central investigating agency is probing the role of Lalu Yadav, the former Railway Minister in the UPA Government, and his kin in the land for jobs scam.

    According to the CBI, job aspirants were offered jobs in the railways when Lalu Yadav was the railways’ minister from 2004 to 2009 in exchange for land allegedly surrendered by them to the Yadav family and their associates.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Tejaswi was summoned by the agency to appear on March 4 and 11, for questioning in the case but he skipped the summons and had approached the Delhi High Court challenging the action of the agency to call him for questioning. The matter was taken up for hearing on March 16 when Tejaswi through his lawyer agreed to appear before CBI as the agency said that there were no plans to arrest him in the matter. Tejaswi left the CBI office around 8 pm.

    The CBI action was in continuation with the questioning of Lalu Yadav and his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi earlier this month. 

    Lalu Yadav’s daughter Misa, also a Rajya Sabha MP, appeared before the ED officials for questioning on Saturday morning. She left the agency headquarters in the evening. According to sources she has not been given a date yet to reappear before the agency again. She however maintained that she has been assisting with the investigations and would continue to do so.

    The ED’s action is a follow-up on the CBI’s investigation, which is now probing the acquisition of assets by the Yadav family in the wake of the proceeds generated by corrupt practices in wake of the scam.

    Earlier in October last year, CBI had filed a chargesheet against Lalu Prasad, the former railway minister, his wife Rabri Devi and 14 others in connection with an alleged land-for-jobs scam during his tenure in the Railways.

    Lalu’s daughter Misa and a former general manager of the Railways were also named as accused in the charge sheet filed before a special CBI court recently. 
     
     

  • Land for jobs scam: Tejashwi to appear before CBI; not to be arrested this month

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  The CBI on Thursday assured the Delhi High Court it will not arrest Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav this month, after which the politician agreed he will appear before the central probe agency on March 25 for questioning in connection with a case related to the alleged land for jobs scam.

    Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma recorded the CBI counsel’s statement that the agency was not thinking about arresting Tejashwi Yadav this month.

    Following the assurance, senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Tejashwi Yadav, submitted to the court his client will appear on March 25 before the investigating officer at CBI headquarters in Delhi at 10:30 am.

    Noting the submissions by both parties, the high court disposed of the petition, in which Tejashwi Yadav has sought quashing of the summons issued to him by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

    RJD supremo and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejashwi in his plea said he had requested the investigating officer through multiple letters to allow him some time as the current Bihar Assembly session will conclude on April 5.

    He said he had requested that either he be allowed to appear in the CBI office at Patna or if any information or documents are required from his side then he shall provide the same through his authorised representative at New Delhi.

    The case relates to alleged appointments made in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family when he was the railway minister between 2004 and 2009.

    The CBI, in its chargesheet, alleged that irregular appointments were made in the railways, violating norms and procedures of the Indian Railways for recruitment.

    READ MORE:

    Land for jobs scam: Court grants bail to Lalu, Rabri and Misa Bharti

    ED’s ‘Rs 600 cr crime proceeds’ rumours, make panchnama public: Tejashwi

    NEW DELHI:  The CBI on Thursday assured the Delhi High Court it will not arrest Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav this month, after which the politician agreed he will appear before the central probe agency on March 25 for questioning in connection with a case related to the alleged land for jobs scam.

    Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma recorded the CBI counsel’s statement that the agency was not thinking about arresting Tejashwi Yadav this month.

    Following the assurance, senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Tejashwi Yadav, submitted to the court his client will appear on March 25 before the investigating officer at CBI headquarters in Delhi at 10:30 am.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Noting the submissions by both parties, the high court disposed of the petition, in which Tejashwi Yadav has sought quashing of the summons issued to him by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

    RJD supremo and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejashwi in his plea said he had requested the investigating officer through multiple letters to allow him some time as the current Bihar Assembly session will conclude on April 5.

    He said he had requested that either he be allowed to appear in the CBI office at Patna or if any information or documents are required from his side then he shall provide the same through his authorised representative at New Delhi.

    The case relates to alleged appointments made in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family when he was the railway minister between 2004 and 2009.

    The CBI, in its chargesheet, alleged that irregular appointments were made in the railways, violating norms and procedures of the Indian Railways for recruitment.

    READ MORE:

    Land for jobs scam: Court grants bail to Lalu, Rabri and Misa Bharti

    ED’s ‘Rs 600 cr crime proceeds’ rumours, make panchnama public: Tejashwi

  • Uproar in Bihar assembly over ED raids at residences of Tejashwi, family members

    Express News Service

    PATNA: The Bihar assembly witnessed noisy scenes over the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s raids on the residential premises of deputy chief minister Tejashwi and others as RJD demanded the enactment of a law to stop central agencies from conducting raids without prior permission from the state government.

    As the House was re-assembled after Holi vacation and ED raids on the premises of Tejashwi’s residence in New Delhi, his three sisters and associates of RJD chief Lalu Prasad in connection with money laundering case related to the alleged land-for-jobs scam, RJD MLA Bhai Birendra said that legal provisions should be made, making it mandatory for ED and CBI to take prior permission from the state government before taking any action in the state. He said that such provisions had been made in West Bengal and other states and these should be made in Bihar too.

    CBI had also recently questioned former chief minister Rabri Devi in the state capital and Lalu Prasad in New Delhi in connection with the land-for-jobs scam.

    It is alleged that those wishing to secure group ‘D’ posts in the railway gifted or sold land parcels at cheap rates to the Lalu family when the RJD chief was the railway minister in the former UPA-I government from 2004 to 2009.

    Addressing the speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, RJD MLA Bhai Birendra said that the Centre was misusing the central agencies like ED and CBI. He also appealed to the chief minister Nitish Kumar who was present in the house to enact a law to make it mandatory for the central agencies to take prior permission from the state government before taking any action in the state.

    The speaker, however, asked the RJD MLA to resume his seat and let the house conduct its normal proceedings.

    MLAs belonging to Congress and left parties also registered their protest in the House against the questioning of Lalu and his associates in the case. MLAs from CPI (ML) and other left parties carrying placards demanded a check on the ED raids. They also alleged that the raids conducted on the premises ofLalu and his family members were politically motivated.

    Congress legislative party leader Ajit Sharma alleged that the Centre was misusing ED and CBI as it was perturbed over the grand alliance`s ‘edge’ on Bihar`s all 40 Lok Sabha seats. Attempts are being made by the Centre to harass the state`s opposition parties which are getting stronger all the time, he added.

    On the other hand, BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachol said Tejashwi should resign from the post for the sake of an “impartial” probe in a money laundering case related to the land-for-jobs scam. He contended that Tejashwi could influence the investigation into the case if he continued in his post.

    Meanwhile, Tejashwi returned from New Delhi on Monday and met with Nitish who was sitting in his official chamber of the assembly. He apprised the CM of details of ED raids conducted at his residence and also at the residences of his sisters.

    Tejashwi later tweeted, “We are not ‘fake entire political science people but socialist people of real public science. We have political land (strength), courage and character to fight against BJP leaders’ falsehoods, rumours and fake political cases. Listen Sanghis, we have people’s power if you have money powerand guile.”

    PATNA: The Bihar assembly witnessed noisy scenes over the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s raids on the residential premises of deputy chief minister Tejashwi and others as RJD demanded the enactment of a law to stop central agencies from conducting raids without prior permission from the state government.

    As the House was re-assembled after Holi vacation and ED raids on the premises of Tejashwi’s residence in New Delhi, his three sisters and associates of RJD chief Lalu Prasad in connection with money laundering case related to the alleged land-for-jobs scam, RJD MLA Bhai Birendra said that legal provisions should be made, making it mandatory for ED and CBI to take prior permission from the state government before taking any action in the state. He said that such provisions had been made in West Bengal and other states and these should be made in Bihar too.

    CBI had also recently questioned former chief minister Rabri Devi in the state capital and Lalu Prasad in New Delhi in connection with the land-for-jobs scam.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    It is alleged that those wishing to secure group ‘D’ posts in the railway gifted or sold land parcels at cheap rates to the Lalu family when the RJD chief was the railway minister in the former UPA-I government from 2004 to 2009.

    Addressing the speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, RJD MLA Bhai Birendra said that the Centre was misusing the central agencies like ED and CBI. He also appealed to the chief minister Nitish Kumar who was present in the house to enact a law to make it mandatory for the central agencies to take prior permission from the state government before taking any action in the state.

    The speaker, however, asked the RJD MLA to resume his seat and let the house conduct its normal proceedings.

    MLAs belonging to Congress and left parties also registered their protest in the House against the questioning of Lalu and his associates in the case. MLAs from CPI (ML) and other left parties carrying placards demanded a check on the ED raids. They also alleged that the raids conducted on the premises of
    Lalu and his family members were politically motivated.

    Congress legislative party leader Ajit Sharma alleged that the Centre was misusing ED and CBI as it was perturbed over the grand alliance`s ‘edge’ on Bihar`s all 40 Lok Sabha seats. Attempts are being made by the Centre to harass the state`s opposition parties which are getting stronger all the time, he added.

    On the other hand, BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachol said Tejashwi should resign from the post for the sake of an “impartial” probe in a money laundering case related to the land-for-jobs scam. He contended that Tejashwi could influence the investigation into the case if he continued in his post.

    Meanwhile, Tejashwi returned from New Delhi on Monday and met with Nitish who was sitting in his official chamber of the assembly. He apprised the CM of details of ED raids conducted at his residence and also at the residences of his sisters.

    Tejashwi later tweeted, “We are not ‘fake entire political science people but socialist people of real public science. We have political land (strength), courage and character to fight against BJP leaders’ falsehoods, rumours and fake political cases. Listen Sanghis, we have people’s power if you have money power
    and guile.”

  • Tejashwi calls ED’s ‘Rs 600 crore crime proceeds’ claim rumours, says make panchnama public

    By PTI

    PATNA: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday dubbed as “rumours” the claim of the Enforcement Directorate that proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 600 crore were detected during searches on premises owned by him and close family members.

    The RJD leader, who is currently away in Delhi beside his wife who is expecting their first child, also said the BJP will be left embarrassed if he made public the “panchnama” (seizure list) signed after the raids.

    “Just recall, in 2007, transactions worth Rs 8,000 crore, including a mall and hundreds of land plots, were alleged”, tweeted Yadav, in an obvious reference to the alleged land-for-hotels scam pertaining to his father Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister.

    Now facing the heat in the land-for-jobs ‘scam’ pertaining to, roughly, the same period, Yadav also recalled his name being linked to a mall seized in Gurugram, which turned out to be owned by a private company.

    The RJD had threatened legal action against media outlets for “wrongly” reporting that Yadav, the party supremo’s son and heir apparent, owned the commercial establishment.

    ALSO READ | Land for jobs ‘scam’: Tejashwi skips CBI questioning, seeks fresh date

    “The BJP government (at the Centre) spreading rumours again, quoting sources. It should have asked its spin doctors to first settle the account on the previous operations, before coming up with the new tale of Rs 600 crore”, the RJD leader said.

    Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate said it has seized “unaccounted cash” of Rs 1 crore and “detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore” after it raided RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family in connection with a money laundering case linked to the railways land-for-jobs ‘scam’.

    “Let them make public the panchnama (seizure list) signed after the raids. If we do so on our own, think of the embarrassment that these BJP leaders will have to face”, added Yadav, who peppered his two tweets with quite a few smileys to assert that he was taking it all on the chin.

    The ED had launched raids on Friday at multiple locations linked to Prasad’s family members, including that of his son Tejashwi in Delhi.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation had recently questioned Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi — former chief ministers of Bihar — in the case.

    ALSO READ: Lalu furious over pregnant daughter-in-law’s harassment during ED raids

    PATNA: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday dubbed as “rumours” the claim of the Enforcement Directorate that proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 600 crore were detected during searches on premises owned by him and close family members.

    The RJD leader, who is currently away in Delhi beside his wife who is expecting their first child, also said the BJP will be left embarrassed if he made public the “panchnama” (seizure list) signed after the raids.

    “Just recall, in 2007, transactions worth Rs 8,000 crore, including a mall and hundreds of land plots, were alleged”, tweeted Yadav, in an obvious reference to the alleged land-for-hotels scam pertaining to his father Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Now facing the heat in the land-for-jobs ‘scam’ pertaining to, roughly, the same period, Yadav also recalled his name being linked to a mall seized in Gurugram, which turned out to be owned by a private company.

    The RJD had threatened legal action against media outlets for “wrongly” reporting that Yadav, the party supremo’s son and heir apparent, owned the commercial establishment.

    ALSO READ | Land for jobs ‘scam’: Tejashwi skips CBI questioning, seeks fresh date

    “The BJP government (at the Centre) spreading rumours again, quoting sources. It should have asked its spin doctors to first settle the account on the previous operations, before coming up with the new tale of Rs 600 crore”, the RJD leader said.

    Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate said it has seized “unaccounted cash” of Rs 1 crore and “detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore” after it raided RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family in connection with a money laundering case linked to the railways land-for-jobs ‘scam’.

    “Let them make public the panchnama (seizure list) signed after the raids. If we do so on our own, think of the embarrassment that these BJP leaders will have to face”, added Yadav, who peppered his two tweets with quite a few smileys to assert that he was taking it all on the chin.

    The ED had launched raids on Friday at multiple locations linked to Prasad’s family members, including that of his son Tejashwi in Delhi.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation had recently questioned Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi — former chief ministers of Bihar — in the case.

    ALSO READ: Lalu furious over pregnant daughter-in-law’s harassment during ED raids

  • JD(U) giving political colour to ED’s action against Lalu’s family, says BJP’s Sushil Modi

    Express News Service

    PATNA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and JD(U) president Lalan Singh of giving political colour to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) action against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family in connection with land-for-job scam.

    BJP MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that JD(U) leaders were trying to give political colour to the operation launched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and deputy chief minister son Tejashwi Yadav to divert people’s attention from corruption charges levelled against them.

    Referring to the ED’s search operation and Lalu’s allegations that his pregnant daughter-in-law Rajshree Yadav was harassed, Sushil said that the question of harassing anybody during the operation didn’t arise.

    When she (Rajshree, wife of Tejashwi) and ‘nati-natini’ (grandsons and granddaughters) are not accused in the IRCTC scam case, the question of investigation didn’t arise, he remarked.

    “RJD chief is playing emotional card by spreading rumours about his daughter-in-law’s torture by the central agency to take political mileage,” he asserted.

    Moreover, the BJP leader said that Nitish should formulate a policy that no pregnant woman will be questioned by any investigating agency even if charges levelled against her were serious in nature.

    ALSO READ | Rs 1 cr cash, Rs 600 cr crime proceeds found in raids on Lalu’s family: ED

    The former deputy chief minister also sought to know how Lalu’s family acquired property worth Rs.600 crore, which came to light during an investigation carried out by central agencies.

    Tejashwi should explain how he became the owner of his New Friends’ Colony residence worth Rs.200 crore when he had no other sources of income, he added.

    The BJP MP also questioned why Hridayanand Choudhary and Lallan Choudhary gifted property at a prime location to Lalu’s daughter Hema Yadav. The property was later sold off for Rs.350 crore. Earlier, Lalu and his wife Rabri were interrogated by CBI in connection with the land-for-jobs scam.

    During the search operation, Modi claimed that Rs.1 crore in cash besides one and a half kilogram of gold jewellery and half kilogram of gold biscuit were seized from the residential premises of Lalu’s family members on Friday. Altogether 24 locations in Patna, Mumbai, Ranchi and New Delhi were simultaneously searched.

    PATNA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and JD(U) president Lalan Singh of giving political colour to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) action against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family in connection with land-for-job scam.

    BJP MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that JD(U) leaders were trying to give political colour to the operation launched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and deputy chief minister son Tejashwi Yadav to divert people’s attention from corruption charges levelled against them.

    Referring to the ED’s search operation and Lalu’s allegations that his pregnant daughter-in-law Rajshree Yadav was harassed, Sushil said that the question of harassing anybody during the operation didn’t arise.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    When she (Rajshree, wife of Tejashwi) and ‘nati-natini’ (grandsons and granddaughters) are not accused in the IRCTC scam case, the question of investigation didn’t arise, he remarked.

    “RJD chief is playing emotional card by spreading rumours about his daughter-in-law’s torture by the central agency to take political mileage,” he asserted.

    Moreover, the BJP leader said that Nitish should formulate a policy that no pregnant woman will be questioned by any investigating agency even if charges levelled against her were serious in nature.

    ALSO READ | Rs 1 cr cash, Rs 600 cr crime proceeds found in raids on Lalu’s family: ED

    The former deputy chief minister also sought to know how Lalu’s family acquired property worth Rs.600 crore, which came to light during an investigation carried out by central agencies.

    Tejashwi should explain how he became the owner of his New Friends’ Colony residence worth Rs.200 crore when he had no other sources of income, he added.

    The BJP MP also questioned why Hridayanand Choudhary and Lallan Choudhary gifted property at a prime location to Lalu’s daughter Hema Yadav. The property was later sold off for Rs.350 crore. Earlier, Lalu and his wife Rabri were interrogated by CBI in connection with the land-for-jobs scam.

    During the search operation, Modi claimed that Rs.1 crore in cash besides one and a half kilogram of gold jewellery and half kilogram of gold biscuit were seized from the residential premises of Lalu’s family members on Friday. Altogether 24 locations in Patna, Mumbai, Ranchi and New Delhi were simultaneously searched.

  • Lalu reaping what he sowed: BJP leaders on CBI team at Rabri Devi’s residence

    By PTI

    PATNA: BJP leaders in Bihar on Monday asserted that the Central Bureau of Investigation was “doing its job as an independent agency” in cases against RJD president Lalu Prasad who was “reaping what he had sown”.

    Leaders of the saffron party, which is in opposition in the state but in power at the Centre, were approached with queries on a CBI team reaching the residence of Rabri Devi, Prasad’s wife and a former CM herself.

    Officials said that a CBI team visited the residence of former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with “further probe” in the land for jobs scam case. There is no search or raid taking place, they said.

    The CBI team reached 10, Circular Road, a stone’s throw from the official residence of the chief minister and the Raj Bhavan in connection with a case pertaining to the period when Prasad was the railway minister, in the UPA-1 government.

    “Lalu Prasad’s brush with CBI has been long. The fodder scam cases, in which he has been convicted, were lodged much before the BJP came into the picture,” said senior BJP leader and former state minister Nitin Nabin.

    He pointed out “the fodder scam cases were registered when the Centre was ruled by the United Front, of which he was a part. The complainants included Shivanand Tiwary, now his party’s national vice president, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, who heads the JD(U), his current ally”.

    Jibesh Kumar Mishra, another BJP leader and ex-minister, said, “Lalu Prasad got first convicted in a fodder scam case in 2013, when the Congress-led UPA, of which his party was a part, ruled the Centre”.

    “The CBI is an independent agency and doing its job. Allegations of political vendetta are baseless. Lalu Prasad and his family are reaping what he has sown (jaisi karni vaisi bharni),” the BJP leader added.

    The officials said the CBI had already filed its charge sheet in the land for jobs scam case and the special court summoned the accused, including Prasad and his family members and others on March 15.

    The agency has kept the further probe open into the alleged scam, they said.

    The visit of the CBI team is in connection with further investigation in the case, they added.

    PATNA: BJP leaders in Bihar on Monday asserted that the Central Bureau of Investigation was “doing its job as an independent agency” in cases against RJD president Lalu Prasad who was “reaping what he had sown”.

    Leaders of the saffron party, which is in opposition in the state but in power at the Centre, were approached with queries on a CBI team reaching the residence of Rabri Devi, Prasad’s wife and a former CM herself.

    Officials said that a CBI team visited the residence of former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with “further probe” in the land for jobs scam case. There is no search or raid taking place, they said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The CBI team reached 10, Circular Road, a stone’s throw from the official residence of the chief minister and the Raj Bhavan in connection with a case pertaining to the period when Prasad was the railway minister, in the UPA-1 government.

    “Lalu Prasad’s brush with CBI has been long. The fodder scam cases, in which he has been convicted, were lodged much before the BJP came into the picture,” said senior BJP leader and former state minister Nitin Nabin.

    He pointed out “the fodder scam cases were registered when the Centre was ruled by the United Front, of which he was a part. The complainants included Shivanand Tiwary, now his party’s national vice president, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, who heads the JD(U), his current ally”.

    Jibesh Kumar Mishra, another BJP leader and ex-minister, said, “Lalu Prasad got first convicted in a fodder scam case in 2013, when the Congress-led UPA, of which his party was a part, ruled the Centre”.

    “The CBI is an independent agency and doing its job. Allegations of political vendetta are baseless. Lalu Prasad and his family are reaping what he has sown (jaisi karni vaisi bharni),” the BJP leader added.

    The officials said the CBI had already filed its charge sheet in the land for jobs scam case and the special court summoned the accused, including Prasad and his family members and others on March 15.

    The agency has kept the further probe open into the alleged scam, they said.

    The visit of the CBI team is in connection with further investigation in the case, they added.