PATNA: With Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday summoning another son-in-law of jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with its ongoing probe into money laundering charges, Bihar’s ruling JD(U) and BJP engaged in a war of words with the main Opposition party RJD.
Rahul Yadav, the husband of Lalu’s fourth daughter Ragini, was issued summons by ED to appear before investigators and furnish explanation about the transfer of funds to the tune of Rs 1 crore he had allegedly made to his mother-in-law Rabri Devi’s bank account.
After Shailesh Kumar, Rahul Yadav is the second son-in-law of Lalu and Rabri to come under the ED scanner in connection with a money laundering case being probed by the agency. Kumar, the husband of Lalu’s eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, was interrogated by ED officials several times last year. A chargesheet ED filed against Bharti last month named Kumar and several others.
The summons to Rahul Yadav indicated growing trouble for the RJD chief’s family and relatives. He, wife Rabri Devi, younger son and Bihar Opposition leader Tejaswi Yadav are currently under probe by CBI in a case related to the transfer of two railway hotels to a private company on lease when the RJD chief was railway minister.
Lalu, who came out of Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Central Jail briefly to appear at CBI courts in connection with the fodder scam cases on Tuesday, declined to speak on the fresh summons issued by ED. The RJD chief was sentenced to three years and a half in jail by a special CBI court in a fodder scam case on January 6.
“The summons for another son-in-law proves that RJD and Lalu Yadav’s family are a gang of corruption. They have tried their best to keep the people of Bihar in the dark, but their time is up now,” said JD(U) MLC and spokesperson Sanjay Singh. “Lalu Yadav’s clan has a lot to explain and they clearly have no convincing answers,” said health minister Mangal Pandey of BJP.
RJD leaders protested against the “gang of corruption” comment and hit back at the two ruling parties. “These are people for whom social justice has little significance. Only they can use such words with such callousness. We will answer them at the right time,” said senior RJD leader Bhai Birendra.