Bihar: RJD calls CBI raids on Lalu Prasad political vendetta

PATNA: RJD leaders attacked the NDA government against the CBI raids conducted at different locations associated with their party chief Lalu Prasad and his relatives and called it a political vendetta to suppress the voice of the opposition. The party has linked the raids with the demand of caste census raised by the leader of opposition in the state assembly and Lalu’s son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.
RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwari said the raids were a warning to chief minister Nitish Kumar, who had come close to Tejashwi on the caste census issue. He said the BJP had become uncomfortable seeing Nitish and Tejashwi coming closer . “In order to avert the rolling out of caste census, as RSS does not want it, the CBI all of a sudden woke up in a 20 years old matter. The world is seeing how BJP has been using central agencies for its political motive. Hope Nitish ji does not get trapped in this net and carries out the census,” Tiwari said. RJD Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Manoj Jha said such raids were predictable as whenever the BJP government faces problem, they come with such tactics. “You (BJP) got panicked as Tejashwi ji was boldly raising the unemployment and caste census issues and even the other parties were coming together. People of Bihar will finish your existence,” he said.
RJD national general secretary Shyam Rajak questioned the way raids were conducted not only at the residence of former CM Rabri Devi and her daughter Misa Bharti, but also on their other relatives. He said this was to harass the Lalu family.
Another senior RJD functionary Alok Mehta said the BJP misuses CBI, which otherwise is the biggest constitutional body. “Several people ran away with crores of rupees, but the CBI did nothing. There are people who have committed scams of crores of rupees but no action has been taken against them as they are close to the BJP. CBI is being used to harass the opposition and BJP is setting a wrong trend,” said Mehta, adding that if RJD joins hands with BJP today, it will become pious. RJD state spokesperson Prashant Mandal said he had been seeing such raids and attacks on the RJD since childhood.