CBI searches RJD MLA, MP's places in railway jobs scam

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Tuesday conducted searches at nine locations in multiple states, including the premises of RJD MLA Kiran Devi and Rajya Sabha member Prem Chand Gupta, in connection with their investigation into the "land-for-jobs" scam.
The searches were conducted after the role of the two RJD functionaries allegedly cropped up in the ongoing investigation, officials said.
The searches were spread across Ara and Patna in Bihar on the premises of Kiran Devi and her husband Arun Yadav and in Gurugram, Rewari, Noida and Delhi on the premises of Gupta, an official added.
Two months ago, Bihar deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav was questioned in the case which pertains to irregular appointments of candidates made in Central Railway, violating the norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment when Tejaswi's father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was the railway minister.
MLA's hubby lashes out at BJP over raids
As a quid-pro-quo, the candidates, directly or through their relatives, sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav (then Union railway minister) at highly discounted rates, the CBI has alleged.
No advertisement or public notice was issued for appointment but some residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur, it is alleged.
The CBI had filed the chargesheet in October last year against former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, their daughter Misa Bharti and 13 others in the land-for-jobs scam. The alleged scam occurred when Yadav was railway minister between 2004-09. Apart from the RJD leader, the chargesheet also includes the name of the then railway general manager.
Reacting over the raids on the premises of his MLA wife Kiran Devi, her husband and former RJD Sandesh MLA Arun Yadav said: "BJP is trying to intimidate us through the CBI raids, but we are not afraid of such raids. Lalu ji is my god. The raid is conducted because I am his loyal soldier."
Arun further told the mediapersons: "As the 2024 Lok Sabha election is coming nearer, the BJP is adopting pressure tactics to frighten the Mahagathbandhan leaders through the CBI raids. Lekin hum Lalu ji ke majboot sipahi hain, humni ke Krishna bhagwan ke vansaj hain ja. Hum na deraib ie raid se, (I am a loyal soldier of Lalu; we are the descendants of Lord Krishna. I am not going to be afraid of such raids)."
Lashing out at the BJP, Arun said, "The way BJP is adopting tricks to frighten the opposition leaders through such raids will have effect on the 2024 election. We are grassroots leaders. The Mahagathbandhan will not yield to such pressure tactics of BJP."
(With inputs from Praveen at Ara)