Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister, Tejashwi Yadav, is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today in the Land-for-Jobs case. Tejashwi Yadav was previously interrogated in April regarding this matter.
New Delhi: Tejashwi Yadav is set to appear before the Directorate of Enforcement today for questioning in the Land-for-Jobs case. The ED had summoned him to appear at their office in Delhi for interrogation. Tejashwi Yadav underwent nearly eight hours of questioning in this case on April 11. Additionally, in connection with this case, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad has also been summoned to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This marks the first instance of the ED summoning Lalu Prasad for involvement in the investigation. The ED’s summons follows the interrogation of Amit Katyal, an alleged “close associate” of the Lalu Prasad family, conducted last month. Katyal was arrested by the ED in November.
What is the Land-for-Jobs Case? The alleged scam dates back to the time when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-1 government. The accusation is that between 2004 and 2009, several individuals were appointed to Group “D” positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in return, these individuals transferred their land to the immediate family members of the then Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, and a related company, A.K. Infosystems Private Limited. The ED has recently summoned Lalu Prasad for questioning in connection with his alleged involvement in the case. This summons comes after Amit Katyal, who is said to be a director in the company, was arrested by the ED in November.
According to the ED, after acquiring the land, the shares of the aforementioned company were allegedly transferred to the family members of Lalu Prasad in 2014. The ED case, based on a complaint filed by the CBI, accuses Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav of money laundering. They were granted bail by a lower court in October after the CBI filed a charge sheet against them for allegedly obtaining land at a preferential rate.
Lalu Prasad’s Family Sold Land at Concessional Rates According to the CBI, no advertisements or public notices were issued for recruitment, but some residents of Patna were appointed in various zones of the railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur. It alleged that in exchange, candidates, directly or through their family members, sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad at extremely concessional rates. In recent months, the ED has recorded statements from the family members of Lalu Prasad in connection with this case. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is a key component of the opposition coalition ‘India,’ planning to contest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
