Journalism of Courage
Days after the CBI questioned RJD leaders and former Bihar Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi in connection with its probe into the land-for-jobs case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday conducted searches at premises allegedly linked to their children, including a house in New Delhi where Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav was present.
Properties allegedly linked to Tejashwi’s sisters Chanda, Ragini and Hema were among those searched along with that of former RJD MLA Abu Dojana.
On the seizures made, an ED officer said, “During the searches, cash amount of Rs 53 lakh, foreign currency including USD 1900, 540 gm gold bullion, more than 1.5 kg of gold jewellery, documents and electronic devices have been seized.”
The ED case, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, stems from a CBI probe into allegations that people were given employment in the railways – when Lalu Prasad was Railway Minister – in return for land parcels gifted or sold cheap to the Prasad family and associates.
The New Friends Colony property searched by ED is the registered address of M/s AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd (AKIPL), ED officers said.
According to the CBI’s FIR in the case, AKIPL got a land parcel in lieu of a railway job to a candidate when Lalu was Railway Minister. ED officers said Rabri Devi, Ragini and Chanda were directors in the company.
The CBI filed a chargesheet in the case against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi – they were questioned recently – and 14 others under charges of criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. All have been summoned on March 15.
Following the ED searches, Tejashwi’s sister Rohini Acharya alleged that her brother’s pregnant wife was being “tortured” by the agency and that the entire family was being targeted.
“Have some shame. There is a pregnant daughter-in-law in the house. Sisters have small kids. You will suffer the consequences of the sin of torturing them. We will remember this injustice. What crime have my sister’s kids committed? What crime has my pregnant sister-in-law committed? Their only crime is that the Lalu family has never bowed before fascist forces,” Acharya said in a series of tweets.
RJD national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha told reporters: “Ever since we aligned with JD (U) last August to form the government in Bihar, the BJP has gone livid. It has been using officials of Central agencies with possible assurances of giving post-retirement benefits for destabilising our government. But our leader Lalu Prasad is not one to be cowed down by such things. People have already been mocking the BJP for launching a political vendetta of this scale everywhere against its political opponents. We want to know how the BJP would feel if it loses power and the same thing happens to them.”
Dojana told reporters: “It is nothing but a political matter.”
After his father was questioned recently, Tejashwi, among the Opposition leaders who wrote to the Prime Minister alleging “blatant” misuse of Central agencies, had said, “We are not at all perturbed as there is little merit in the case. The CBI, ED and Income Tax will continue to visit us until 2024.”
