Patna: Fodder scam cases continue to haunt Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav much after they put a stop to his political career, which spanned more than four decades.
On Friday, Yadav rushed to the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Patna to appear in a more than two-decade-old case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs4.5 million (Dh248,284) from state treasuries by allegedly submitting forged bills from the animal husbandry department. Yadav was the chief minister of Bihar when the case had surfaced in early 90s.
The RJD chief along with former chief minister Dr Jagannath Mishra and former parliamentarian Jagdish Sharma reached the Patna civil court early in the day and appeared before the special CBI court after the CBI judge issued summons. There are as many as 34 accused in the case. The case’s charge-sheet was filed in 2003; the case was registered in 1996.
Emerging from court, Yadav said he respected the court and he had full faith in the Indian judicial system. “I respect the court. I will continue to appear whenever I will be asked for that,” he told media outside the court.
The pending fodder scam cases against him have proved costly for Yadav as he can’t contest elections for at least the next decade due to his conviction in a case. Apparently, this was one of the main reasons he promoted his sons in politics too early and got him appointed to Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. Currently, both his sons, Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, are ministers in the Kumar government. Tejashwi Yadav is the deputy chief minister in the government.
