Declare all benami assets: Sushil to Tejashwi

Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday said that his predecessor Tejashwi Prasad Yadav made a record of sorts for amassing huge properties in his name only at the age of 28 and most of those illegally amassed assets have been seized.

“He should come out from the shadow of his father Lalu Prasad and declare all the benami properties and hand them over to the Government. Lalu faced the corruption charge at the age of 50 but you are only 28 and owned more than 28 benami properties ,” said Modi and added that Tejashwi is possibly the only politician in the country whose so many assets have been confiscated.

Modi said Tejashwi lost his position, as Deputy CM, almost one year ago but yet to tell the people how he became the owner of the precious 3 acres of land in Patna on which Bihar’s biggest mall was coming up. The Enforcement Directorate seized this land on Tuesday under Prevention of Money laundering Act. The land near Danapur was previously under the name of Delight Marketing Company Pvt Ltd and later on transferred to Lara Projects. Only last year the central agencies seized properties worth Rs 175 crore which were in the names of Lalu, Rabri Devi and their children.

“The question is haunting everybody how Tejashwi became owner of so many properties even though he never did any job or business, neither completed his education nor made any record in the cricket. He was taken as extra in one of the IPL teams at the recommendation of then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad,” said Modi and added that Lalu always claimed he was born in a very poor family so how come his son has so much assets.

He also questioned that only four days after the demonetisation the Delight Marketing was changed as Lara Project and in place of Sarla Gupta, came Rabri Devi and Tejashwi as its directors and owners of the precious land.

Modi advised Tejashwi to make a public declaration that he had no knowledge of the law and his father implicated him by involving in the corruption and he should return all those assets to the Government so that those lands are used for opening hospitals, schools and care homes.