PATNA: A pall of gloom enveloped the No 10, Circular Road, residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi in Patna soon after her husband and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted in Doranda treasury case, an offshoot of the multi-crore fodder scam, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, on Tuesday.
Hundreds of workers of the RJD, who had assembled at Rabri Devi’s residence early on Tuesday morning in the hope of their leader being acquitted in the case, looked disappointed as the news broke of the conviction by the CBI court in Ranchi.
“Our leader has been framed under a conspiracy. There are so many scams but why action is being taken against him alone? Because he helped the poor and always advocated for social justice,” said Ganga Rai, a party worker from Raghopur in Vaishali.
Other party workers like Suday Rai, Bhola Yadav, Jumman Ansari and Bindeshwar Ram echoed similar views. Lalan Rai, a resident of Danapur in Patna, warned that RJD workers would take the fight onto streets for justice
Lalu Prasad's younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday asserted that his father, who was convicted in yet another fodder scam case, was "never guilty" in 'Janta ki Adalat' (people's court).
Talking to journalists here shortly after a special CBI court in Ranchi gave its verdict, Yadav insinuated that his father was being targeted for being a 'garibon ka neta' (champion of the poor).
"There have been so many scams but only one person is being held guilty. Has there been any action against Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, and Lalit Modi? Will the accused in the Rs 28,000 crore scam involving Gujarat-based shipyard company be brought to book?" the former Bihar deputy chief minister asked.
He said the people were taking note that CBI, ED, etc.
have been reduced to "subsidiaries of the BJP".
Urging his party cadre not to lose heart, Yadav said "the order passed today is not a finality. We will seek justice before the High Court of Jharkhand. If need be, we will move the Supreme Court".
He expressed bewilderment over the fact that in fodder scam cases his father was being held guilty despite having been, as the then chief minister of undivided Bihar, the one who ordered an investigation into the fraudulent withdrawal of money from Treasury in many districts.
He also questioned why the then District Collectors have not been booked and added "but this is how things are functioning.
I have been accused of laundering money at a tender age".
Yadav's name has cropped up in the land for hotels scam pertaining to the period when he was a minor while Prasad was the Railway minister.
He also asked why no action has been taken against anybody in the Srijan scam of Bihar under the Chief Ministership of Nitish Kumar.
The leader of the opposition was also asked about comments of BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, a bete noire of Prasad and his family, that the RJD supremo had sown what he had reaped "Perhaps Sushil Modi had himself in mind.
Look where he is today", quipped Yadav, referring to the apparent sidelining of the BJP leader in his own party.
"All our supporters are requested not to lose heart and to continue drawing strength from the enormous public support we got at the hustings", said the RJD leader whose party finished with the largest tally in the 2020 assembly polls.
(With PTI Inputs)