People are watching, says Rabri Devi on CBI searches on RJD leaders

Patna, August 24

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The ruling ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Bihar on Wednesday cried foul over raids conducted at a number of premises owned by leaders of the RJD, the largest constituent of the seven-party coalition.

The CBI raids, in connection with a railway land-for-jobs scam, commenced barely hours before the new government was to prove its majority on the floor of the state assembly.

“I do not wish to comment on merits and demerits of the case. But the timing of the raids is a clear indication that the investigating agencies are trying to help the BJP,” alleged Upendra Kushwaha, parliamentary board president of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).

The BJP has been stripped of power on account of the volte-face earlier this month by Kumar, who has now aligned with the RJD, Congress and Left combine.

Former chief minister Rabri Devi, whose own residence here was raided by the agency in connection with the case a few months ago, told reporters, “The people are watching and they can understand what is behind these raids.”

The case pertains to her husband and RJD president Lalu Prasad’s tenure as railway minister. Raids were taking place at the residences of party MLC Sunil Singh, a close aide, besides Rajya Sabha MPs Ashfaq Karim and Faiyaz Ahmed and former MLC Subodh Rai.

Singh screamed before reporters from the balcony of his Rajbanshi Nagar apartment, “It is clearly an intimidatory tactics. Why else is the raid being conducted today? We cannot even see the local police, who normally accompany CBI officials during raids.”

Singh is also the chairman of Bihar State Cooperative Union and a team of CBI officials was at his office near Gandhi Maidan, about 5km away, as well.

CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurav told reporters outside the Assembly, “These raids clearly show that the BJP has thrown constitutional propriety to the winds. No raid takes place at any leader of the party which is in power at the Centre as well as in so many states.”