The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided several locations connected to the family members, relatives and close acquaintances of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad in the alleged “landfor-jobs” case.
Premises linked to Lalu’s younger son and Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, daughters Hema Yadav, Ragini Yadav and Chanda Yadav, relative and Samajwadi Party leader Jitendra Yadav, former RJD MLA Abu Dojana and others in Patna, Delhi, Ranchi, Ghaziabad, Mumbai and other places were searched.
The ED is probing alleged money laundering. Sources said simultaneous searches were carried out on at least 15 locations spread across five states.
The CBI is already investigating the case and had filed a chargesheet in October 2022, accusing Lalu of helping at least 111 people illegally secure Group D jobs in lieu of money and land between 2004 and 2009 when he was railway minister.
It had questioned Lalu, who recently had a kidney transplant, and his wife Rabri Devi earlier this week.
The action by the ED and the CBI comes on the heels of a joint letter written by Opposition leaders, including Tejashwi, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week to protest the misuse of central investigative agencies against the political rivals of the BJP. Tejashwi’s house at Friend’s Colony in New Delhi was searched on Friday.
Separate ED teams also searched the residences of Hema, Chanda and Ragini in Delhi-NCR.
The ED requisitioned CRPF personnel for security during the raids. While the raid was going on, Dojana was confined to his house. He appeared on the first-floor balcony and journalists standing outside lobbed questions at him.
“I am unable to understand what is the matter. It seems to be a political issue,” Dojana replied.
“Today the premises of Laluji’s daughters and deputy chief minister Tejashwi are being searched. What will they achieve by opening a case that was closed?”
Rajya Sabha member and RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said. Jha asserted that the BJP has tainted the character of institutions like the ED and the CBI, eroding the trust of people in them.
“We are not going to budge. Laluji has stood unshaken despite so many difficulties. You (the BJP) should now refrain from such things. You have not spared any Opposition party or leader... Start fighting political battles through political methods,” Jha added. Lalu’s Singapore-based daughter Rohini Acharya, who had donated one of her kidneys to him, said on Twitter that her family was not afraid and would fight.
“What crime did the small kids of my sister commit? What was the crime of my pregnant bhabhi (sister-in-law)? Why are they being tortured since morning? Their only crime is that the Lalu family did not bow down in front of the fascist rioters,” Rohini tweeted.
Rohini pointed out that action against Union minister Narayan Rane, Bengal leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa and ShivSena MLA Pratap Sarnaik was stopped in corruption cases after they aligned with the BJP.
