A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team had a tough time on Monday during the quizzing of former CM Rabari Devi in an alleged Land-for-Job scam in railways. When the CBI team was inside her residence, a large number of RJD supporters were staging a dharna amidst slogan shouting against the Centre and its agencies in front of the main entrance gate of her official residence.
A sizeable crowd was seen shouting anti-Modi slogans at her 10 Circular Road residence.
According to official sources, a nine-member CBI team headed by DIG reached the former CM Rabari Devi’s residence in the morning which is located in a high security zone and barely a hundred meter away from CM’s residence.
As soon as the news of the CBI team reaching Rabari’s residence went viral a large crowd of RJD leaders and Laloo supporters started gathering at her residence amidst shouting anti Modi slogans. They sat down in front of the entrance gate of the residence and on the main circular road. A good crowd of passersby also gathered nearby.
In between, security has been tightened in and around the residence but RJD leaders kept shouting slogans for hours together.
It’s a coincidence that the raid took place barely 24 hours after the publication of an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by eight regional Opposition parties alleging “blatant misuse of central agencies against opposition”. Among the signatories of the letter was Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejshwi Prasad Yadav. Incidentally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar does not figure in it.
Speaking to media persons, senior RJD member and a party MLC Sunil Singh said that Central agencies like the ED, the CBI and the IT have lost their credibility now. “It’s simply a vindictive act by the agency, nothing less. It’s an old case. They have failed to conclude it even after 19 years. Where was the agency when a sum of Rs 10 crore was found at Karnataka BJP legislator’s house? What happened to him,” he asked.
“After the formation of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar, BJP leaders are scared and are trying to use its entire machinery to defame us but people of Bihar are very intelligent,” he said.
Another RJD leader and a former speaker of Bihar Vidhan Sabha Uday Narayan Chaudhary who was sitting on dharna said that the recent success of Purnia’s massive rally of Mahagathbandhan had made the BJP jittery. “How many times will CBI, ED and IT quiz the same person? What has been recovered so far,” he asked.
Another Jan Adhikar Party president and a former MP Pappu Yadav said that the BJP only finds fault in the Opposition party leaders not in the BJP. “What happened to Maharashtra’s the then deputy CM Àjit Pawar nephew of Sharad Pawar”, he asks.
Earlier, Tejshwi Prasad Yadav, while making statement on CBI searches, said he had anticipated it when the Mahagathbandhan Government was being formed in Bihar. “I have already offered them (central agencies like ED and CBI) to set up their offices in our residence itself. It will be easier for them also,” he said.
“If a leader with corruption charges joins BJP, the cases against him are withdrawn,“ he said citing examples of Himanta Biswa Sarma, Suvendra Adhikari and Mukul Roy.
The CBI had filed a chargesheet in October last year against 16 people including Laloo Prasad Yadav, Rabari Devi and Misa Bharati in the alleged “land for job” scam.
The alleged scam occurred between 2004 and 2009 when Laloo Prasad Yadav was the railway minister. Last month, taking cognisance of the CBI chargesheet summons were issued against all the 16 including Laloo family members in connection with alleged scam.