Journalism of Courage
Jagannath Mishra,the other former chief minister convicted with Lalu Prasad,is now acting chairman of Patna-based L N Mishra Institute of Economic Development and Social Science. The Congress veteran eventually shifted to the JDU,while his son Nitish is a minister in the Bihar government. Nitish Mishra calls the conviction based more on a media trial than on any proof.
Among the others convicted,former public accounts committee chairman Jagdish Sharma is now a JDU MP,and his son Rahul an MLA.
Three others have gone into political oblivion. R K Rana,then an MLA and later an MP,remains in the RJD but is no longer active in politics. Dhruv Bhagat,then a BJP MLA and also a public accounts committee chairman,quit the party years ago. He is in Ranchi jail,convicted in a related case last June. And Vidyasagar Nishad,former animal husbandry minister,remains in the RJD but is now on the sidelines.
Among the convicted bureaucrats is Phoolchand Singh,who was finance commissioner. He retired as development commissioner in the late 1990s and settled in Patna.
K Arumugam retired as planning board member in 2003. He told The Indian Express,I am the only one among the four convicted IAS officers who got three years punishment and was given bail. I will go into appeal. Originally from Tamil Nadu,he settled in Ranchi and in 2009 started a website,fodderscamtruth.com,to tell my side of fodder scam story.
Of the other IAS officers,Mahesh Prasad retired in 2002 and settled in Patna while Beck Julius retired five years ago and settled in Ranchi.
