The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader has reportedly been invited to appear before the ED on January 5 for questioning, according to PTI.
Lalu Prasad Yadav, the founder of RJD and his father, was also requested to testify in the case on Wednesday, December 27, at the ED’s New Delhi headquarters.
Why is this story important?
This occurred as a result of Deputy Chief Minister Yadav ignoring the ED’s summons to appear for questioning on Friday, December 22, before the central investigative agency.
Currently under investigation by the ED and the CBI, RJD head Lalu Prasad is suspected of approving railway jobs in exchange for plots while serving as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009. This is an alleged corruption case.
Investigations are also being conducted into his family and assistants.
Yadav’s answer to the summons is nothing new.
The Bihar deputy chief minister responded to the summons against him in the land-for-jobs case on Thursday by saying it was “nothing new.”
“I have been called by all of these (probe) agencies numerous times in the past, and each time I have shown up as scheduled. However, it appears that it has now become commonplace,” asserted Yadav.
Additionally, he charged that the federal agencies were carrying out the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) directives.
Everything you should know about the lands-for-jobs case
According to reports, the alleged land-for-job scandal took place between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad was the railway minister in the coalition government at the Center led by the Congress.
According to the CBI, the Indian Railways violated established recruitment procedures and rules by making sporadic hirings.
Additionally, it stated that people hired as “substitutes” in the railroads sold land at “highly discounted rates” to Lalu Prasad’s and his assistants’ families.
Statements from multiple Yadav family members were recorded by ED.
The statements of the RJD supremo’s wife, Rabri Devi, the former chief minister of Bihar, and their daughters, Misa Bharti, Ragini Yadav, and Chanda Yadav, have been recorded by the ED in the course of the alleged scam case during the previous several months.
The Yadav family has refuted every accusation made during the investigation and charged the central government with abusing its investigative institutions.