Prime Minister I K Gujral met President Shanker Dayal Sharma yesterday afternoon and he is believed to have discussed the issue of granting permission to the CBI to charge Union minister of state for rural areas and employment Chandradeo Prasad Verma in the Rs 950 crore Bihar animal husbandry scam.
Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad is also an accused in the scam. The CBI is awaiting permission of Bihar Governor A R Kidwai to charge Prasad.
A senior government official said a decision to grant permission at the Centre against Verma would have a clear linkage to a decision by the Governor. It is expected that the Centre might wait until the Governor makes up his mind.
There were indications in Patna that the Governor might delay permission as he sought some clarification on the case from the CBI. The case is coming up for hearing in the Patna High Court on Monday.
Chandradeo Prasad kept away from journalists yesterday and refused to come on line when called by Business Standard. Meanwhile, detractors of Laloo Prasad in the Janata Dal were closeted at the residence of a Union Minister late yesterday night.
Senior government officials said Gujral had two options on Verma. He can advise the President to give permission to the CBI to charge Verma, or he can drop Verma from his cabinet.
If he opted for the first, it would be a clear signal to Bihar Governor A R Kidwai to give permission for charging Chief Minister Laloo Prasad and others without delay.
But the risk in this is a possible conflict with the Governor in the event of the Governor refusing permission as the CBI has sought permission for Verma from the President as well as from the Governor. For this reason, the Centre might wait for the Governor to make up his mind first.
An agency report from Patna said that the Bihar Governor has sought some clarifications from the CBI. The agency has quoted CBI sources to say that the Governor sought clarifications from CBI at a meeting with its Joint Director (East), U N Biswas, on Thursday.
The CBI had on May 10 sought Governors sanction to prosecute the Chief Minister, two of his cabinet colleagues - Bhola Ram Toofani and Vidyasagar Nishad, Verma and former Congress Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra.
