Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Monday walked out of the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday. The RJD chief was behind bars since September 30 after receiving a five-year sentence in the fodder scam.
“The CBI case against me is false… I can’t even begin to describe the injustice the investigating agency has done to me,” Prasad said as he came out of the jail.
Talking about the current political scenario in the country and his plans, the former Bihar chief minister said, “Now we have political parties in Delhi who want to fight elections but don't want to form government... Narendra Modi or any other Modi, I am now ready (to take them on). I am willing to make any sacrifice to ensure that communal forces don't come to power (in 2014).”
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam had granted Lalu bail after noting that 37 of 44 similarly placed convicts in the case had already been given relief by the Jharkhand high court. But it left it to the CBI court to decide on bail bonds, sureties and other conditions.
There was no opposition by the CBI, which had stated in its affidavit on Thursday that the released accused had served more than half their sentences.
Lalu’s bail spells bad news for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and its one-time ally BJP. They had both bargained on the RJD falling apart after Lalu’s incarceration.
To the contrary, the jail term not only enhanced sympathy for Lalu but the RJD managed to ride the storm, putting in place a system of governance for the party helmed by its stalwarts.
Now, with general elections months away, the former NDA partners would probably find it hard to tap into the RJD’s traditional Muslim-Yadav (MY) vote bank.
The CBI court had on September 30 found Lalu, former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra and 43 others guilty of criminal conspiracy to cause a Rs. 37.7-crore loss to the Chaibasa treasury. Lalu, who lost his Lok Sabha membership after the guilty verdict, moved the top court after the HC dismissed his bail plea.
“The CBI case against me is false… I can’t even begin to describe the injustice the investigating agency has done to me,” Prasad said as he came out of the jail.
Talking about the current political scenario in the country and his plans, the former Bihar chief minister said, “Now we have political parties in Delhi who want to fight elections but don't want to form government... Narendra Modi or any other Modi, I am now ready (to take them on). I am willing to make any sacrifice to ensure that communal forces don't come to power (in 2014).”
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam had granted Lalu bail after noting that 37 of 44 similarly placed convicts in the case had already been given relief by the Jharkhand high court. But it left it to the CBI court to decide on bail bonds, sureties and other conditions.
There was no opposition by the CBI, which had stated in its affidavit on Thursday that the released accused had served more than half their sentences.
Lalu’s bail spells bad news for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and its one-time ally BJP. They had both bargained on the RJD falling apart after Lalu’s incarceration.
To the contrary, the jail term not only enhanced sympathy for Lalu but the RJD managed to ride the storm, putting in place a system of governance for the party helmed by its stalwarts.
Now, with general elections months away, the former NDA partners would probably find it hard to tap into the RJD’s traditional Muslim-Yadav (MY) vote bank.
The CBI court had on September 30 found Lalu, former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra and 43 others guilty of criminal conspiracy to cause a Rs. 37.7-crore loss to the Chaibasa treasury. Lalu, who lost his Lok Sabha membership after the guilty verdict, moved the top court after the HC dismissed his bail plea.
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