New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday (March 10) carried out raids at the Delhi home of Bihar deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav. According to NDTV, 15 locations were raided in the land-for-jobs case, including premises linked to Lalu Prasad’s daughters Ragini Yadav, Chanda Yadav and Hema Yadav, and former RJD MLA Abu Dojana in Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi and Mumbai.
Earlier this week, the Central Bureau of Investigation had interrogated former Bihar chief ministers Lalu and Rabri Devi in the case.
In the CBI’s FIR, the probe agency alleged that job aspirants had sold their land to the kin of Lalu Prasad, during 2004-2009, when he was railways minister, in return for the appointment of substitutes in Group “D” post in different zones of Railways. The FIR also names his wife, Rabri Devi, and their daughters Misa Yadav and Hema Yadav, and 12 others who allegedly transferred their land for jobs in return.
The ED raids come days after eight opposition parties wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the Union government is using Central agencies to attack opposition politicians. “The misuse of central agencies and constitutional offices like that of the Governor – to settle scores outside of the electoral battlefield is strongly condemnable as it does not bode well for our democracy. The manner in which these agencies have been used since 2014 has tarnished their image and raised questions about their autonomy and impartiality. The faith of the people of India in these agencies continues to erode,” the letter stated.