New Delhi: On the very day when the new Janata Dal (United)-Rashtriya Janata Dal government is to face a floor test in the Bihar assembly, after Nitish Kumar decided to break with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Central Bureau of Investigation has conducted raids at the residences of senior RJD leaders.
According to NDTV, the raids were in connection with the “land-for-jobs” case that alleges irregularities during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as railway minister in the UPA-I government.
The search operation is being carried out at the premises of several senior leaders of the RJD including Sunil Singh, Ashfaque Karim, Faiyaz Ahmad and former MLC Subodh Rai.
“This is being done intentionally. There is no meaning. They are doing it hoping that our MLAs will join them out of fear,” Singh said after his Patna home was raided.
The CBI has named Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, and daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, in addition to 12 people who were given jobs in Railway zones of Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hajipur in 2008-09 in the case.
The central agency had registered a preliminary enquiry on September 23, 2021 related to the land-for-jobs scam in Railways.
The candidates were appointed as substitutes in group D positions within three days of applying in “undue haste” by Railway officials and were later regularised “in lieu thereof the individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land,” according to the agency.
The transfers were made through three sale deeds in the name of Rabri Devi and one in the name of Misa Bharti and two gift deeds in the name of Hema Yadav, the agency alleged.
The ‘Mahagathbandhan’, which comprises Bihar chief minister’s JD(U), besides RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M), has a combined strength of more than 160 in the 243-strong House.
On Tuesday night, an RJD spokesperson had indicated on Twitter that the party was expecting action of this kind. “Furious BJP allies CBI, ED, IT are preparing for raid in Bihar very soon. The gathering has started in Patna. Tomorrow is an important day,” the tweet read.
(With PTI inputs)