Tejashwi hiding iron, steel handling business: BJP

Some more documents coming up accused leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for his involvement in the business of iron and steel. The papers showed that Yadav was owner of a handling and storage agent of steel giant Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. These papers were shown by senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday.

“Tejashwi was not only constructing the biggest mall worth Rs 750 crore he is also doing business of iron and steel,” Modi said, adding that the office of this handling and storage business was being run from a 2.25 acres of land under the name of Lara & Sons in Patna.

Modi, who is also Finance Minister, said for this business Yadav had obtained VAT registration number (TIN 10062264062) from the commercial taxes department apart from registration of Central Sales Tax ad Entry Tax and an account was opened with SBI against PAN number ACSPY9993J.

The Finance Minister said the commercial taxes department under his Ministry would look into this matter thoroughly.

Tejashwi in a tweet retaliated, “Is doing business only the copyright of your fathers and forefathers. You termed the mall worth Rs 750 crore but your pet agencies ED and IT valued it only Rs 45 crore.” However, Lalu’s heir apparent did not deny about the existence of iron handling and storage business. 

“Doing a business is not a crime but why he concealed this fact in his affidavit to the Election Commission. He continued doing this business as agent of Jindal Company involving crores of rupees but in the return of VAT he showed zero turnover,” alleged Modi and asked how come Lalu Prasad’s younger son became owner of many shell companies and prime lands at the age of only 22?

On September 28, 2012, as per the letter of intent from Jindal Steel & Power Limited, Tejashwi was appointed as handling and storage agent at Patna for handling the cargo and products arriving from its steel plants at Raigarh, Patratu, Angul and other locations. The total price for handling was fixed at Rs 700 per tonne and for unloading and storage at Rs 500 per tonne. Tejashwi signed on this letter of intent as handling agent.

On the non judicial paper Tejashwi signed in his capacity as “Stockyard Operator” appointed by the Company for the purpose of handling and storing of all its products and by-products of iron and steel materials dispatched from its plants and stockyards at Raigarh, Patratu, Angul and any other location in India. On this court paper one of the witnesses is Bhola Yadav, Lalu’s Man Friday and now an MLA.