Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad on Tuesday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi got to unfurl the tricolour at the Red Fort in Delhi for the last time. Prasad was talking to reporters after celebrating Independence Day at the residence of his wife Rabri Devi here, which was marked by the two former Bihar chief ministers unfurling the national flag. I extend my greetings to the people of the country on the occasion and pay my tributes to great men like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar whose contributions the nation can never forget," Prasad told reporters. The ailing septuagenarian, who has been steadfast in his opposition to the BJP in his political career spanning over several decades, was asked by some journalists in a lighter vein whether PM Modi would be able to unfurl the tricolour next year, when the Independence Day would fall well after the Lok Sabha polls. Nahin, na (no, not at all) was the curt .
In a tweet, the All India Congress Committee shared pictures of the two leaders meeting at the New Delhi residence of RJD MP and Lalu's daughter, Misa Bharti
RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday said the decision of the Patna High Court on the caste survey in the state is in the interest of the poor and that it will benefit all sections of society. Rejecting a bunch of petitions challenging the caste survey, the court upheld it as "perfectly valid" and "initiated with due competence". "The Patna HC's decision to dismiss all pleas challenging the Bihar government's move to conduct a caste-based survey in the state is the victory of the poor and economically disadvantaged groups. The exercise will be beneficial for all sections of the society," Prasad told reporters with his son, Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, by his side. "The survey report will help the government in better implementation of welfare schemes for the socially and economically disadvantaged groups," he added. Prasad, the former chief minister of the state, also said that CM Nitish Kumar and the deputy CM deserve appreciation for undertaking the exercise. "We have been in fa
The Enforcement Directorate has attached some assets as part of its money laundering investigation against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, his family and others in an alleged land-for-railway jobs scam, official sources said on Monday. The agency has issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the properties, they said. The number of assets and their exact value was not known immediately. The ED has recorded the statement of Prasad's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their children including Bihar Deputy Chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, daughters Misa Bharti (RJD MP in Rajya Sabha), Chanda Yadav and Ragini Yadav, over the last few months, in this case. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Lalu Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged by the ED and the CBI that during the period 2004-09, various persons were appointed to Group D positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in lieu, th
Enforcement Directorate seized assets in alleged corruption case against former Chief Ministers Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi, along with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav
RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday said he will travel to Bengaluru for the meeting of the opposition parties on July 17-18. Speaking to reporters at the Patna airport before leaving for Delhi, he said he will go to Bengaluru for preparing the ground for ousting the Narendra Modi government from the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "I am going to Delhi for my routine medical examination, including blood tests. After that I will come back to Patna, and then go to Bangaluru for the meeting of the opposition parties, and also for preparing the ground for the ouster of the Modi government from the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," he said. The second meeting of the 'like-minded' opposition parties will be held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The first meeting was held in Patna on June 23.
Two days after the CBI filed a fresh chargesheet against RJD president Lalu Prasad, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others in connection with the land-for-jobs scam, Prasad on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi government. Prasad, who has been accused of corruption during his tenure as railway minister, said "one case after another" was being filed against him and his close family members. "Mukadama par mukadama," said Prasad, while addressing party workers after inaugurating a function to mark 27 years of RJD's formation. Switching over to his native Bhojpuri for a moment, Prasad said, "What will happen to you (Modi) when your days are over? At least we have earned the goodwill and are still showered with petals and garlands". The ailing septuagenarian hailed the opposition unity efforts of his rival-turned-ally Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and vowed to "root out" the BJP in the 20
A day after the CBI filed a chargesheet against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others in connection with the land-for-jobs scam, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Tuesday accused the BJP-led central government of running a "witch-hunt" against the RJD leader. The second chargesheet of the CBI in this case was filed without a shred of evidence against Yadav. The CBI had earlier said there was no proof against him. But when the RJD and JD(U) along with other parties formed the grand alliance government in Bihar in August 2022, the Centre started using its 'parrot' (CBI) and other federal probe agencies against the deputy CM, Singh said in a video message. The CBI on Monday filed a chargesheet against Yadav, his father and former railways minister Lalu Prasad and mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with the land-for-jobs scam in a competent court in New Delhi. The chargesheet, which also named 14 others, is the second in the case. CBI
The case pertains to an alleged scam in the railway recruitment processes when Lalu Prasad was the Union Railways minister from 2004 to 2009
The CBI has filed a charge sheet against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, his father and former railways minister Lalu Prasad and mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with the land for jobs scam case, officials said Monday. The charge sheet, which also names 14 others, is the second charge sheet in the case. It has been filed on the basis of documents and evidence that surfaced after the first charge sheet was submitted in the case, they said. Besides members of the Yadav clan, the CBI has also named AK Infosystems and several middlemen in the case, they said. The charge sheet was filed in a special CBI court. The officials said the second charge sheet was filed as the alleged roles of the accused could not be completed by the time the initial report was filed. The CBI has alleged that favourite candidates were appointed in the railways in violation of norms and procedures, without any advertisement or public notice. during Lalu Prasad's tenure as .
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has dubbed the opposition meeting here as a "war cry" against a "fascist and autocratic regime." The DMK chief has been in town since Thursday night for the meeting hosted by his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar. He took to Twitter to express his delight over meeting Kumar, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, who received him at the airport, and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. Stalin prefixed the names of the Bihar leaders with the Tamil honorific "Thiru" in a show of endearment, while expressing his elation over being "in the land that has given us......Buddha, Karpoori Thakur and BP Mandal". "No surprises that the war cry of a united opposition is from here, the land of social justice, to end this fascist, autocratic regime and allow the rebirth of a secular, democratic India", added Stalin, who also used the hashtag #UnitingIndia2024.
On her arrival in Patna, Mamata Banerjee called on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch and former Bihar CM Lalu Yadav and his son and state Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday raked up scams during Lalu Prasad's tenure as Railway Minister, a day after the RJD president blamed the Balasore triple train crash on "negligence" of railways by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The former Union minister was replying to questions from journalists at a press conference organised at the BJP's Bihar headquarters to showcase the Modi government's achievements in nine years. When pointed out that Prasad had, on the previous day, spoken of "negligence" and accused the Modi government of having "destroyed railways", Prasad shot back that the former Bihar CM was embroiled in a number of scams and was busy securing bail. "His achievements as Railway Minister are there for all to see. He is facing investigations in the land for hotels scam and the land for jobs scam, and busy securing bail in both cases", quipped Prasad, a former law and justice minister. He also criticised opposition parties for "indulging in ...
A day after the much-touted survey of castes in Bihar hit a roadblock, RJD president Lalu Prasad on Friday let off a barrage of attacks at the opposition BJP in the state. Taking to Twitter, the septuagenarian made no reference to the Patna High Court order staying the survey, but accused the saffron party of being "afraid" of a headcount of 'bahusankhyak' (majority) backward classes. "Caste census is a demand of the country's majority. It is bound to take place (hokar rahega)", tweeted the former Bihar CM, arguably the tallest among the leaders to have been thrown up by the Mandal churn of the 1990s. He, however, asked "why is the BJP so afraid of a headcount of the bahusankhyak backward classes. Whoever opposes such a survey, is against the ideals of equality and humanity and a votary of social discrimination, poverty and unemployment". The Patna High Court on Thursday ordered a stay on the caste survey being conducted by the Bihar government. Notably, the Nitish Kumar governmen
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday recorded the statement of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Chanda Yadav in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam in the railway, sources said. Chanda Yadav deposed before the agency and her statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). She is the fourth child of the RJD chief, a former railway minister, to have deposed before the ED in this case till now. Lalu Prasad has nine children. On Wednesday, his another daughter Ragini Yadav was questioned even as his MP-daughter Misa Bharti. His son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has also been questioned at the agency's office in central Delhi. The agency had raided the premises of Chanda Yadav, her sisters Ragini Yadav and Hema Yadav, and former RJD MLA Abu Dojana in Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi and Mumbai in March. The ED had on Monday questioned and recorded the statement Tejashwi Yadav in this case. Misa
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday recorded the statement of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Ragini Yadav in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs in railways scam, sources said. Ragini Yadav deposed before the agency for questioning and her statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency had raided the premises of Ragini Yadav, her sisters Chanda Yadav and Hema Yadav, and former RJD MLA Abu Dojana in Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi and Mumbai in March this year. The ED had on Monday questioned and recorded the statement of Ragini Yadav's brother and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in this case. A third child of Lalu Prasad, RJD MP Misa Bharti, was also questioned by the ED in this case on March 25, the same day Tejashwi Yadav had deposed before the CBI. Both the central agencies recently initiated action in the case, with the CBI questioning Lalu Prasad and his wife and former Bihar chie
A number of top political leaders have been disqualified from Parliament or Assembly upon conviction. Here are a few of them
The Supreme Court on Monday tagged with pending matter a plea of the CBI challenging grant of bail to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in the Doranda Treasury case of Jharkhand wherein he was sentenced to five years in prison. A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi said it is not issuing notice but tagging the matter with the pending similar appeal also filed by the CBI. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju and advocate Rajat Nair sought the issuance of notice in the matter but the bench said it will hear the matter together and was not inclined to issue notice. The CBI has challenged the Jharkhand High Court's April 22, 2022 order granting bail to Yadav in the case. Seventy-four-year-old Yadav is currently out on bail due to ill health after his conviction in various fodder scam cases. The former Bihar chief minister was sentenced to five years in prison and slapped with a fine of Rs 60 lakh by a special CBI court in Ranchi in connection with the
The special CBI court has granted bails to Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar CM Rabri Devi and Rajya Sabha MP in Misa Bharti in IRCTC lands for job scam on Wednesday
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of summons issued to him by the CBI for appearing before it in connection with a case related to the alleged land-for-job scam. The petition is listed for hearing on Thursday before Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma. RJD supremo and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav in his plea said section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), under which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued the summons, states that notices for appearance of a person should be within the local jurisdiction of a police station or within the adjoining police station of the place the person is located. He said he is a resident of Patna in Bihar and he has been asked to join the investigation in Delhi which is neither within the jurisdiction of Patna nor adjoining the same. The case relates to alleged appointments made in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or so