Patna, Jan 9 After a Delhi court on Friday ordered the framing of charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and others in the land-for-jobs scam, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the ruling had once again exposed what he termed an “inseparable relationship between the Lalu family and corruption”.
Rai said the court has acknowledged that the Lalu family is prima facie involved and that trial proceedings will now move forward.
He said this was not the first time Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family have faced corruption charges, referring to previous cases including the fodder scam and other alleged irregularities.
Targeting Tejashwi Yadav, Rai alleged that he was following in his father’s footsteps and claimed that voters in Bihar had rejected him in recent Assembly elections because of corruption allegations.
Rai also challenged the Lalu family to publicly return the land allegedly taken from poor families, claiming that exploitation of the poor had been a defining feature of the family’s politics.
Following the court’s decision, several other senior BJP leaders launched sharp attacks on Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh remarked: “As you sow, so shall you reap,” stating that Lalu Prasad Yadav should have learned lessons from earlier corruption cases.
He alleged that land was taken directly from the people of Bihar in exchange for jobs, adding that the law was now taking its course.
BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal described Lalu Prasad Yadav as a habitual offender and said the indictment was a consequence of long-standing corruption.
After charges were framed, Special CBI Court Judge Vishal Gogane ruled that the discharge petitions filed by the accused were without merit and directed that trial be conducted against 46 accused, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav.
The case pertains to allegations that Class IV railway jobs were given in exchange for land allegedly transferred to members of the Lalu family when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union Railway Minister.
The court’s order makes it clear that the accused have not been convicted, but that sufficient material exists to warrant a full trial.
The case will now proceed to the next stage under judicial scrutiny.
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