PATNA: Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday justified the three-and-a-half years imprisonment awarded to former CM and RJD national president
Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury 21 years ago.
Modi, who was among the petitioners in the case along with JD (U) minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias
Lalan Singh and Shivanand Tiwary, now in RJD, said the CBI judge has put his stamp on the charges he had levelled against Lalu in his petition.
The CBI court of judge Shiv Pal Singh on Saturday sentenced Lalu to three-and-a-half years in jail. However, Jagdish Sharma, another accused in the case, got seven years in jail. "Saja saja hoti hai, chaahe woh saadhe teen saal ki ho ya saat saal ki (Punishment is punishment, no matter if it is of three-and-a-half years or seven years)," Modi said.
The deputy CM criticised those linking Lalu's conviction in fodder scam case to his caste. "Such people should know the caste of the other person who has been sentenced to seven years in jail," Modi said in an oblique reference to Jagdish Sharma, who hails from
Bhumihar community.
Modi said there was no "political vendetta" or "prejudice" in sentencing the RJD chief. "Those alleging political conspiracy against Lalu should explain as to which political party the then governor A R Kidwai, who gave permission for his arrest, belonged. The then PM H D
Deve Gowda and CBI joint-director (east) U N Biswas were also not from BJP," Modi said to drive home his point.
While Kidwai owed allegiance to the Congress, Gowda was from
Janata Dal family. Lalu had played a major role in making Gowda the PM of the country. Biswas, on the other hand, is now a Trinamool Congress neta.
