Lalu Yadav on raids: Have done nothing wrong, know how to handle CBI
The CBI raided 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurugram, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar in connection with hotel tender awarded illegally by Lalu Yadav when he was Railway Minister in 2006.
CBI raided 12 locations in Patna, Delhi and other places in connection with a case filed agaibst Lalu and family.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav has described today’s CBI raids on his family as witch-hunt and political conspiracy hatched by the Opposition.
Lalu, who was in Ranchi to appear before a CBI court in connection with a fodder scam case, denied any wrong doing in the 2006 hotel tender process which is under the cental agency’s scrutiny now.
“I have not done anything wrong. Have nothing to do with the tender process. Everything was done according to the system,” Lalu said. He also accused the CBI of working on the behest of the ruling party (BJP).
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“Told wife and children to make CBI officials comfortable. They are not at fault. I am used to handling CBI. It is getting directions from Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” the former Bihar CM said. The CBI has registered the case against 69-year-old Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, former union minister.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
1. The CBI today carried out searches at 12 locations after registering a corruption case against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members including his son Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav.
2. The searches started at 7am and were spread out at 12 locations in Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Gurugram, Additional Director CBI Rakesh Asthana said at a press conference in New Delhi.
3. “The case is of criminal conspiracy (120-B), cheating (420) under IPC and corruption,” Asthana said.
4. He said between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of Indian Railways located at Puri and Ranchi were first transferred to the IRCTC and later on for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, it was given on lease to a private firm Sujata Hotel pvt ltd based in Patna.
5. “Allegation is that during this process, tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party (Sujata Hotel). In return, three acre land in western Patna was given to Delight Marketing which is known to the family of Lalu Yadav at a very low cost and subsequently between the period 2010 to 2014, this land was further transferred to another company Lara Projects owned by family members of Lalu Yadav,” he said.
6. This transfer also took place at a very low price. Whereas the land was valued at Rs 32 crore as per the circle rate, it was transferred to merely Rs 65 lakh to Lara Projects, Asthana said.
7. The government and the BJP have no role in CBI raids on Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said.
8. The RJD had accused the BJP of vendetta and said described CBI raids as the ‘darkest day’ in Indian democracy.
9. “Today is the darkest day in Indian democracy. We will not be cowed down by this. We will fight legally and politically,” RJD leader Manoj Jha said.
10. “Law is taking its course. Now Nitish Kumarji cannot remain a mute spectator. He will have to speak out and state his stand clearly,” BJP’s Giriraj Singh said.
