Lalu Prasad pushes for 'secular alliance', Congress wants time

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad pushed strongly for a “secular alliance” for Bihar’s 40 Lok Sabha seats during a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday.

The Congress chief is understood to have told Prasad that she would get back to him after the party’s committee constituted to look into poll alliances meets.

Besides the RJD and Congress, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are the likely partners in the secular formation proposed by Prasad ahead of the general elections due in May.

“Communal and fascist forces are on a mission to Balkanize the country. Secular and like-minded political parties must urgently come together to fight their evil designs,” Prasad, who is out on bail in a corruption case, told HT.

The Congress faces a dilemma over a poll arrangement with the RJD, especially after Prasad’s conviction in a multi-crore fodder scam case. The Congress has also been toying with the idea of an alliance with the Janata Dal (United). Prasad’s arch foe Nitish Kumar heads the JD (U) government in Bihar.

“I sought time from the Congress president for detailed talks on firming up a pre-poll alliance in Bihar,” the former CM said. Expressing “deep regret” that fewer than five Lok Sabha seats were left to the Congress by the RJD-LJP combine in the 2009 general elections, Prasad talked of an “honourable” offer this time.

Prasad, disqualified from the Lok Sabha after his conviction, recently heaped praises on Rahul Gandhi, who is expected to be the Congress PM candidate, saying Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and BJP PM’s nominee Narendra Modi couldn’t hold a candle to the Congress vice-president.

Refusing to go into the details of the proposed seat-sharing arrangement, Prasad said, “Numbers are not important. The need of the hour is for the secular forces to come together and provide a fitting response to threats from communal forces.”

“Probity in public life” is expected to be the main component of the Congress’ 2014 campaign. Rahul’s stance against corruption --pushing for lokpal, calling for a rethink on Adarsh housing scam report and trashing the ordinance that sought to protect convicted lawmakers -– is likely to complicate matters for Prasad. If Congress leaders share stage with “tainted” Prasad, its anti-corruption plank would get diluted, a section of the party feels.

Quizzed on this, Prasad said, “There is no truth to these theories, insinuations and rumors being spread. I’m positive that the secular alliance will work out.”

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lalu-prasad-pushes-for-secular-alliance-congress-wants-time/article1-1168156.aspx?htsw0023

Lalu walks out of Ranchi jail, says will take on Narendra Modi

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.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/theriseandriseandfalloflaluprasad/lalu-walks-out-of-ranchi-jail-says-will-take-on-narendra-modi/article1-1163069.aspx

Lalu Prasad likely to be released from jail on Monday

RJD President Lalu Prasad, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court in a fodder scam case, is likely to be released from jail on Monday.

"Papers from Supreme Court did not reach the lower court yesterday. We expect the court will get the papers on Monday and it will take only half an hour to complete the bail bond and other court work," Prasad's advocate Prabhat Kumar said today.

Lalu had earlier got bail in four other fodder scam cases, in which he was concurrently in judici ..


Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/27355470.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Fodder scam: Supreme Court issues notice to CBI on Lalu Yadav's bail plea

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the bail plea of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who is undergoing a five-year jail term after being convicted in a fodder scam case, and sought response from CBI.

A bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed CBI, which is the prosecuting agency in the fooder scam case, to file its response within two weeks and posted the case for hearing to December 13.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Prasad, submitte ..


Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/26570282.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Fodder scam: Lalu appears before special CBI court through video-conferencing

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, now in a prison following his conviction in a fodder scam case last month, on Tuesday appeared before a special CBI court through video-conferencing in connection with another fodder case.

Lalu registered his appearance through video-conferencing from the jail before the court of Sitaram Prasad in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 97 lakh from Deogarh Treasury when he was at the head of RJD government during undivided Bihar in the 1990s.

Besides Lalu, former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, former JD(U) MP Jagdish Sharma and 27 others are accused in the case. Mishra is now on provisional bail on medical ground.


Fodder scam: Lalu appears before special CBI court through video-conferencing

Lalu is also facing charges in three other cases pertaining to fodder scam cases in different treasuries in the Rs 950 crore AHD scam, known as fodder scam.

He is now lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi after being found guilty by the CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh on September 30 in a case of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from the Chaibasa treasury.

The court had on October 3 sentenced him to jail for five years and fined Rs 25 lakh. In all, 45 were convicted and sentenced to varied prison terms in the case.

More: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fodder-scam-lalu-appears-before-special-cbi-court-through-videoconferencing/433834-3-233.html

Lalu in line of fire as AG bats for immediate disqualification of MPs

Putting an end to the uncertainty over the disqualification of MPs Lalu Prasad and Jagdish Sharma, both convicted in the fodder scam case, the law ministry has asked the Lok Sabha secretariat to immediately declare their seats vacant.

The ministry’s advice, based on the opinion of top law officer, attorney general GE Vahanvati, has come on queries posed by the Lok Sabha secretariat on whether MPs can be disqualified before their appeals are finally decided by higher courts.

In a related but separate development, the Rajya Sabha secretariat has set in motion the process to declare the seat of veteran Congress MP Rasheed Masood, who was convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment in a 22 year-old graft case last month.

Vahanvati, whose opinion was sought twice within a week on the tricky subject, has made it clear that following the July 10 Supreme Court judgment, mandating immediate disqualification of MPs/MLAs convicted for offences punishable with more than two years in jail, there is no scope for any interpretation based on a hypothetical future scenario.

“The question of conviction and sentence being stayed by a higher court while hearing an appeal is not relevant at this juncture. It can be addressed separately as and when that stage arises, at the moment immediate disqualification is the law and it can’t be postponed for any reason,” the AG stated.

He has cautioned the Lok Sabha secretariat that any delay in disqualifying the convicted MPs could lead to “non-compliance of the Supreme Court judgment.” The respective House to which the concerned member belongs will notify the declaration of vacant seats.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/TheRiseAndRiseAndFallOfLaluPrasad/Lalu-in-line-of-fire-as-AG-bats-for-immediate-disqualification-of-MPs/Article1-1137016.aspx

President's son meets Lalu in jail

Congress MP Abhijit Mukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukherjee, has called on RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in jail.

The Jangipur MP met Prasad at the Birsa Munda Central

Jail here yesterday.

A CBI court had on September 30 awarded prison sentences to Prasad and 44 others for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from the Chaibasa treasury when he was at the helm of affairs in Bihar in the 1990s.

Prasad is scheduled to file an appeal in the Jharkhand High Court on October 17 against the sentence passed by a Special CBI court.

Mukherjee, who was going to Rajrappa also met Jharkhand

Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Credits: indianexpress

Rabri Devi to lead RJD

The decision to anoint her was taken at a crucial meeting of RJD MPs, MLAs, MLCs and senior party functionaries at Rabri Devi's residence here during the day.

Rabri Devi.


Rabri Devi, wife of incarcerated RJD chief Lalu Prasad and former Bihar chief minister, will lead the party in his absence, its National General Secretary Ramkripal Yadav said on Sunday.

The decision to anoint her was taken at a crucial meeting of RJD MPs, MLAs, MLCs and senior party functionaries at Rabri Devi's residence here during the day.

"Prasad is our leader and will remain so in future...In his absence Rabri will guide us as she had done in the past," Yadav told reporters after emerging from the meeting.

Prasad is in a Ranchi jail after being convicted in a fodder scam case by a CBI court which handed him five years' imprisonment.

Expressing faith in the higher judiciary and in the people, Yadav, a trusted lieutenant of the couple, said, "Prasad will come out unscathed (when he moves the high court) and will lead us once again in future."

The RJD leaders and workers have pledged to remain united in this "hour of crisis" and expressed their determination to expose the conspiracy of JD(U) and BJP to get Prasad framed in the fodder scam case.

The party leaders and workers would go to villages and tell the people about the "conspiracy", he said adding "We will expose both JD(U) and BJP and give a befitting reply to the communal forces."

RJD national spokesman Iliyas Hussain said the reins of the party still remained in the "strong hands" of Prasad. "He remains the undisputed leader of the party today and will be so in future as well."

Rabri Devi will be the party's guiding force and RJD will carry out its scheduled programmes as usual, he added.

Yadav read out a message from Lalu Yadav in which he greeted the people of Bihar on the occasion of Dusshera, Eid-ul-Azha and Chhath festivals and appealed to the people to maintain communal amity and brotherhood.

RJD state unit president Ramchandra Purve said the party leaders and workers have expressed faith in the leadership of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi under whose guidance the party's scheduled programmes like the district-level meetings will be completed after the Dusshera festival.

The meeting in all 243 Assembly constituencies will take place from next month, he added.

Credits: dnaindia

Jailed for five years in fodder scam, Lalu still a factor in Bihar

Whichever way one looks at it,Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, jailed for five years for siphoning off government money, will remain a strong influence on the politics of Bihar.

With Lalu Prasad behind the bars, his rivals are eyeing inroads into his traditional social support base, while the RJD hopes to benefit from the sympathy factor to ensure its support base remains intact.

Lalu Prasad's importance can be gauged from the manner in which his main rivals BJP and JD-U, in hoping for support from his Yadav caste, have chosen against targeting him after his conviction in the fodder scam to avoid antagonising the Yadavs, who constitute more than 11 per cent of Bihar's 105 million population.

Yadavs are considered not only loyal to Lalu Prasad but is also a strong force to counter upper caste dominance in state politics in the last over two decades.

Sensing trouble for Lalu Prasad in the fodder scam case, the BJP appointed a Yadav, Nand Kishore Yadav, as leader of the opposition in the state assembly after JD-U ended its 17-year-old alliance with it in June.

"It was a calculated move to project him to influence the Yadavs, who may be in a dilemma after Lalu Prasad was jailed and there appears to be a leadership vaccum in the RJD. The BJP will exploit this factor to widen its support base among those of Lalu Prasad's caste," a BJP leader said.

In the caste-driven politics of Bihar, the BJP is well aware that other backward castes like Kurmis to which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar belongs, are solidly behind him while the Koeris are not behind any single political party or leader.

Till date, the BJP is seen as a party that enjoys overwhelming support of the upper castes and backward castes like Baniyas.

"The BJP will try to eat into Lalu Prasad's support base but it will not be an easy task," another BJP leader said.

But JD-U MP Shivanand Tiwari, who was once close to Lalu Prasad, said the Yadavs will not ditch the jailed leader in his hour of crisis. "Lalu's castemen will come out in support of him to express their sympathy," he said.

RJD MP Ram Kirpal Yadav said that in this time of crisis, "the party is united and intact". Lalu Prasad is the soul of the RJD and his popularity will now increase among his traditional supporters," Kirpal Yadav said.

RJD activists fear that the Congress will now happily dump the RJD and go with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

JD-U leaders hope that Muslims, who constitute 16.5 per cent of the population, will now be attracted towards the party, in part because of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

"It is a fact that Nitish Kumar dumped BJP over Modi and that will help the party gain more support among Muslims," JD-U leader Sanjay Singh said.

BJP and JD-U leaders had repeatedly claimed that Lalu Prasad's vote bank was already shattered and this was evident during the 2010 assembly elections and the 2009 Lok Sabhapolls.

Credits: economictimes

What work will inmate Lalu Prasad do in jail?

Officials of the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi are yet to decide what job they should allot to RJD president Lalu Prasad.

"As per the jail manual, a convict is given about a week time to prepare for appeal against the lower court's verdict. Only after that process is over, the jail superintendent allots work depending upon the skills of a convict," a senior official of the jail said here today.

"So, he (Lalu) has not been allotted any work as yet," the official added. Hinting that Lalu could be attached with literacy campaign work, IG (Prison) Sailendra Bhusan said, "You are aware that literacy campaign is going on in different jails."

Mr Bhusan, however, evaded a direct reply when asked if the RJD president would be given a teacher's job to teach the illiterate prisoners.

"We can't rule that out," he said, but added that no decision has been taken yet.

According to his profile in the Lok Sabha website, the former Bihar chief minister is a "law graduate".

Lalu is currently lodged as an upper division convict in the Birsa Munda Central Jail following his five-year-long Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) awarded by a CBI court in a fodder scam case.

Another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, who was awarded four years RI, however, may not have to work inside the jail for the time being due to his ill health.

Mr Mishra is admitted to a hospital soon after being convicted along with Lalu and 43 others by the court of Pravas Kumar Singh on September 30.

Mr Bhusan said, "In jail there are works for which skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers are needed. Work is allotted according to the ability of a prisoner. No work is forced on any one."

The health and age of a convict were also taken into consideration before allotting his/her a work.

The official said the jail has also manufacturing units for making blankets, soap and other materials, besides gardening.

Credits: ndtv

Why Lalu & Modi tales tell a positive story about India

Narendra Modi said that despite his Hindutva identity, he believes that toilets should get priority over temples. On October 3, former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad was given a five-year term in connection with the 17-year-old fodder scam. The two incidents have apparently nothing in common but they have a story to tell about India and its contemporary socio-political thinking. 

The generation of ‘secular' leaders Take the case of Lalu Prasad first. He was once one of India's most recognized faces of the post-Congress era. He rose on the ashes of the grand-old party in Bihar, particularly after the Bhagalpur riots of 1989, which had diminished the status of the Congress in the eyes of the minorities. Politicians like Prasad made a perfect blending of religious and social divisions to devise their own social engineering formula and capitalize on the decline of the Congress system. 

The arrest of Lal Krishna Advani in 1990 made Prasad a messiah and his ‘secular' project based on communal undertones was a big hit in the then Indian politics. Other politicians of his generation like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Mayawati also applied similar formula to consolidate their respective political bases and found a convenient common enemy in the BJP's cultural nationalism. They had a two-pronged political approach. One, to implement a social empowerment by mobilizing marginal social sections and two, to maintain a secular façade to get blessings of the minorities to deal with both the Congress and the BJP. 

But they never cared for overall development and ethical practices for these never mattered while managing a largely underprivileged electorate. BJP was a common enemy The geographical limitation of the BJP also ensured that a calculated proximity with a weakened Congress would serve the ultimate goal of this generation of politicians, i.e., to engage in a politics of compromise and concession to remain near the power centre. Change in BJP reduced the secularists' status The situation gradually changed as India continued with its story of economic liberalization and the coming of the NDA government in power under a moderate leader like Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 

It marked a transition in BJP's political character as it began to project itself more a development-oriented party and not an entity only running after making a Hindu state. This was a blow of sort for the old ‘secular' guards of Indian politics. With the focus of the resurgent Indian middle-class also shifting more on economic well-being and ethics, the scripts of the Prasads and Yadavs also began to run out of words. End of Lalu, Are the others far behind? In 2013, we have seen the end of Lalu Prasad because he never succeeded in transforming himself. The likes of Mulayam Singhs are still relevant because they lead formidable political forces in terms of vote shares. But that doesn't guarantee them a certain future. 

The Samajwadi Party was seen desperately trying to revive the old secular wave in Ayodhya a few days ago but failed to curb riots in Muzaffarnagar. An upset Mulayam was seen cautioning his chief minister son, which hints at the ‘secular' leader's apprehension about the future. Sans development, secularism is a hollow slogan, a seasoned politician like Mulayam isn't averse of that. Nitish Kumar is also under the scanner for the fodder scam. When we compare the secularists with that of a Modi who prioritises development over Hindutva, the question arises: is India finally getting over the age-old secular versus communal debate? Most likely, it is. 

The arrest of a ‘secular' leader like Lalu Prasad and the ‘surprising' transformation of Modi from a Hindutva leader convey that neither the secular nor the communal can flourish in today's India if there is no prime emphasis on development. Lalu Prasad perished because he did not convince himself about the changing nature of Indian politics while Modi responded to the changing times.

Read more at: http://news.oneindia.in/india/why-lalu-and-modi-stories-tell-a-positive-story-about-india-1318203.html

Not just Lalu: Nitish Kumar also involved in fodder scam?

Patna: If Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad is in jail, why is Chief Minister Nitish Kumar free? That is the big question doing the rounds in the political circles in Bihar at the moment. After all, didn’t one of the prime accused in the fodder scandal, Shyam Bihari Sinha, confess to the CBI that he also paid Nitish, (in the Samata Party then), Rs 1 crore of the scam money as election expenditure in 1994? It was finally Lalu’s association with Sinha, the central figure in the scam, which saw him thrown behind bars. Bihar’s opposition parties have started raking up the issue with great energy after the conviction of the RJD chief, particularly after the Jharkhand High Court on 20 

September directed the CBI to explain why Nitish and his party colleague Shivanand Tiwari should not be arraigned as accused in the fodder scam. PTI PTI Tiwari, according to Sinha’s confession, had demanded and received Rs 30-35 lakh from the syndicate of scamsters.

 The court has asked CBI to file its reply by 22 November, when it is scheduled to be taken up for hearing. If the agency fails to come up with a convincing reply, Nitish could be in serious trouble. The court was responding to a writ petition filed by a social activist Mithilesh Kumar Singh based on the confessional statement of Sinha obtained via RTI. 

The statement of Sinha reveals, according to Singh, that the scam money was given to scores of politicians, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, Shivanand Tiwari and others. “If on the very basis (of the confessional statement of Sinha), Lalu Prasad, Jagannath Mishra and others could be made accused in the fodder scam, why did the CBI refuse to include the names of Nitish Kumar and Shivanand Tiwari in the list of the accused?” asked Singh. According to documents, which Singh claims to be in his possession, Sinha had paid money to Nitish Kumar in two installments—first Rs 1.40 crore for election purposes and then Rs 5.50 lakh for shopping by the leader during his trip to Australia. The air ticket, too, was arranged by the scamsters. He alleged that Shivanand Tiwari was paid money in three installments.

 “I have sufficient proof against Nitish Kumar and his colleagues,” said Singh. Smelling blood, the entire opposition – the BJP, the CPI-ML and even the RJD – has virtually ganged up on Nitish, demanding that the CBI also make the Bihar chief minister an accused in the scam. The parties have started hitting the street over the demand and mobilizing public opinion. The development has left the chief minister worried. It partly explains why he has suddenly gone silent, not even reacting to the incarceration of his arch rival in Bihar politics.

 “The CBI’s silence over the involvement of Nitish Kumar, Shivanand Tiwari, Lalan Singh and others in the fodder scam is mysterious and we want to know why their names have been left out,” CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said at a press conference in Patna. “Were the leaders let off because they were with the NDA government at the Centre when the CBI started investigating the case? BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad is now saying that there was proof of Mr Kumar’s involvement in the fodder scam case too,” he added. 

The fodder scam had surfaced in 1996 and a year latter, Lalu, who was the chief minister of Bihar then, was sent to jail after being chargesheeted. He had hoped for reprieve from the United Front government – of which Lalu’s Janata Dal was a key ally – at the Centre headed by two prime ministers, HD Deve Gowda and then IK Gujaral. However, it collapsed in two years after a shaky existence. It followed the formation of the NDA government headed by AB Vajpayee. It brought more trouble for Lalu and relief to Nitish, who was then a partner in the ruling alliance. BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad, who was the lawyer for Sushil Kumar Modi, a petitioner who had filed a PIL in the court in the fodder scam, has also gone public, saying Nitish would follow Lalu.

 “Elder brother (Lalu Prasad) is in jail (in the fodder scam) and it is now the turn of the younger brother (Nitish Kumar). His (Mr Kumar’s) name figures in the fodder scam and hence he too will have to go to jail,” Prasad told a party rally. Sushil Kumar Modi, former deputy chief minister and one of the original petitioners in the scam, said. “The imprisonment of Nitish Kumar and his colleagues is inevitable,” he told the media. However, Shivanand Tiwari denies all such allegations. “Such allegations against us are quite old and I will welcome it if the CBI investigates our involvement in the case,” Tiwari has been quoted as saying in a local daily, reacting to allegations against them. 

Another senior leader and minister in the Nitish Kumar government, Bhim Singh, refused comment. Senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy has attacked the chief minister, saying the latter’s growing closeness to the Congress was possibly an outcome of the apprehension that the CBI could frame him in the fodder scam. “It’s high time Nitish Kumar should tell the masses what forced him to close ranks with the Congress” said Rudy. All eyes are now fixed on the reply CBI submits to the court. If Nitish also falls prey to the scam, the politics of Bihar would be headed for uncertain times.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/india/not-just-lalu-nitish-kumar-also-involved-in-fodder-scam-1151953.html?utm_source=ref_article

Firstpost India Not just Lalu: Nitish Kumar also involved in fodder scam? by Manoj Kumar Oct 4, 2013 #bIhar #BJP #CBI #Fodder Scam #HD Deve Gowda #HowThisWorks #India #Jharkhand High Court #Lalu Prasad Yadav #Mithilesh Kumar Singh #Nitish Kumar #Politics #Ravishankar Prasad #RJD #Shivnand Tewari #Sushil Kumar Modi 26 0 2 41 CommentsEmailPrint Patna: If Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad is in jail, why is Chief Minister Nitish Kumar free? That is the big question doing the rounds in the political circles in Bihar at the moment. After all, didn’t one of the prime accused in the fodder scandal, Shyam Bihari Sinha, confess to the CBI that he also paid Nitish, (in the Samata Party then), Rs 1 crore of the scam money as election expenditure in 1994? It was finally Lalu’s association with Sinha, the central figure in the scam, which saw him thrown behind bars. Bihar’s opposition parties have started raking up the issue with great energy after the conviction of the RJD chief, particularly after the Jharkhand High Court on 20 September directed the CBI to explain why Nitish and his party colleague Shivanand Tiwari should not be arraigned as accused in the fodder scam. PTI PTI Tiwari, according to Sinha’s confession, had demanded and received Rs 30-35 lakh from the syndicate of scamsters. The court has asked CBI to file its reply by 22 November, when it is scheduled to be taken up for hearing. If the agency fails to come up with a convincing reply, Nitish could be in serious trouble. The court was responding to a writ petition filed by a social activist Mithilesh Kumar Singh based on the confessional statement of Sinha obtained via RTI. The statement of Sinha reveals, according to Singh, that the scam money was given to scores of politicians, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, Shivanand Tiwari and others. “If on the very basis (of the confessional statement of Sinha), Lalu Prasad, Jagannath Mishra and others could be made accused in the fodder scam, why did the CBI refuse to include the names of Nitish Kumar and Shivanand Tiwari in the list of the accused?” asked Singh. According to documents, which Singh claims to be in his possession, Sinha had paid money to Nitish Kumar in two installments—first Rs 1.40 crore for election purposes and then Rs 5.50 lakh for shopping by the leader during his trip to Australia. The air ticket, too, was arranged by the scamsters. He alleged that Shivanand Tiwari was paid money in three installments. “I have sufficient proof against Nitish Kumar and his colleagues,” said Singh. Smelling blood, the entire opposition – the BJP, the CPI-ML and even the RJD – has virtually ganged up on Nitish, demanding that the CBI also make the Bihar chief minister an accused in the scam. The parties have started hitting the street over the demand and mobilizing public opinion. The development has left the chief minister worried. It partly explains why he has suddenly gone silent, not even reacting to the incarceration of his arch rival in Bihar politics. “The CBI’s silence over the involvement of Nitish Kumar, Shivanand Tiwari, Lalan Singh and others in the fodder scam is mysterious and we want to know why their names have been left out,” CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said at a press conference in Patna. “Were the leaders let off because they were with the NDA government at the Centre when the CBI started investigating the case? BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad is now saying that there was proof of Mr Kumar’s involvement in the fodder scam case too,” he added. The fodder scam had surfaced in 1996 and a year latter, Lalu, who was the chief minister of Bihar then, was sent to jail after being chargesheeted. He had hoped for reprieve from the United Front government – of which Lalu’s Janata Dal was a key ally – at the Centre headed by two prime ministers, HD Deve Gowda and then IK Gujaral. However, it collapsed in two years after a shaky existence. It followed the formation of the NDA government headed by AB Vajpayee. It brought more trouble for Lalu and relief to Nitish, who was then a partner in the ruling alliance. BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad, who was the lawyer for Sushil Kumar Modi, a petitioner who had filed a PIL in the court in the fodder scam, has also gone public, saying Nitish would follow Lalu. “Elder brother (Lalu Prasad) is in jail (in the fodder scam) and it is now the turn of the younger brother (Nitish Kumar). His (Mr Kumar’s) name figures in the fodder scam and hence he too will have to go to jail,” Prasad told a party rally. Sushil Kumar Modi, former deputy chief minister and one of the original petitioners in the scam, said. “The imprisonment of Nitish Kumar and his colleagues is inevitable,” he told the media. However, Shivanand Tiwari denies all such allegations. “Such allegations against us are quite old and I will welcome it if the CBI investigates our involvement in the case,” Tiwari has been quoted as saying in a local daily, reacting to allegations against them. Another senior leader and minister in the Nitish Kumar government, Bhim Singh, refused comment. Senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy has attacked the chief minister, saying the latter’s growing closeness to the Congress was possibly an outcome of the apprehension that the CBI could frame him in the fodder scam. “It’s high time Nitish Kumar should tell the masses what forced him to close ranks with the Congress” said Rudy. All eyes are now fixed on the reply CBI submits to the court. If Nitish also falls prey to the scam, the politics of Bihar would be headed for uncertain times.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/india/not-just-lalu-nitish-kumar-also-involved-in-fodder-scam-1151953.html?utm_source=ref_article

லாலுவுக்கு சிறை தண்டனை: மேல்முறையீடு செய்வோம்- ஆர்.ஜே.டி!

தீவன ஊழல் வழக்கில் பீகார் முன்னாள் முதல்வரும் ராஷ்டிரிய ஜனதா தளத் தலைவருமான லாலு பிரசாத் யாதவுக்கு 5 ஆண்டுகாலம் சிறைத் தண்டனை விதிக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதை எதிர்த்து மேல்முறையீடு செய்வோம் என்று ராஷ்டிரிய ஜனதா தளம்(ஆர்.ஜே.டி) தெரிவித்துள்ளது. 

அதே நேரத்தில் காங்கிரஸ் மற்றும் பாரதிய ஜனதா கட்சித் தலைவர்கள் இத்தண்டனையை வரவேற்றுள்ளனர். லாலுவின் ராஷ்டிரிய ஜனதா தளத்தினரோ, இத்தண்டனையை எதிர்த்து மேல்முறையீடு செய்வோம் என்று கூறியுள்ளனர். இது குறித்து கருத்து தெரிவித்த அக்கட்சியின் செய்தித் தொடர்பாளர் மனோஜ் ஜா, நாங்கள் எப்போதும்போல ஒற்றுமையுடன் இருக்கிறோம். எங்களது ஆதரவு தளம் அப்படியே இருக்கிறது. லாலுதான் எங்களது தலைவர். லாலு மிகவும் அப்பாவி. நாங்கள் மேல்முறையீடு செய்வோம் என்றார். 

அக்கட்சியின் மூத்த தலைவர் ரகுவன்ஸ் பிரசாத், நிச்சயம் லாலு பிரசாத் சிறையில் இருந்து வெளியே வருவார் என்று நம்பிக்கை தெரிவித்திருக்கிறார். பாரதிய ஜனதாவின் செய்தித் தொடர்பாளர் ரவிசங்கர் பிரசாத் கூறூகையில், ஊழல்வாதிகள் சட்டத்தின் பிடியில் சிக்கியே தீர வேண்டும் என்பதை இத்தண்டனை விவரம் உறுதிப்படுத்தியிருக்கிறது என்றார். 

காங்கிரஸ் கட்சியின் ஜெகதாம்பிகா பால், ஊழல் முறைகேடுகளில் சிக்கினால் இதுபோன்ற தண்டனையை அனுபவிக்க நேரிடும் என்பதை எம்.எல்.ஏ, எம்.பிக்கள் உணர்ந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்றார்.

Read more at: http://tamil.oneindia.in/news/india/we-will-appeal-higher-court-against-lalu-conviction-rjd-184675.html

லாலுவிற்கு 5 ஆண்டு சிறை

ரூ. 38 கோடி , கால்நடை தீவன ஊழல் வழக்கில் ராஷ்ட்ரீய ஜனாத தள கட்சித்தலைவர் லாலுபிரசாத் யாதவிற்கு சிறப்பு கோர்ட் ஐந்து ஆண்டுகள் தண்டனை விதித்து தீர்ப்பளித்தது. கடந்த செப். 30-ம் தேதி நடந்த விசாரணையில் லாலு உள்ளிட்ட 45 பேர் குற்றவாளி என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டனர். தண்டனை விபரம் ஒத்தி வைக்கப்பட்டு, இன்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. அப்போது, லாலுவிற்கு 5 ஆண்டுகள் சிறை தண்டனை விதித்து நீதிபதி தீர்ப்பளித்தார்.

LIVE: Lalu Prasad Yadav sentenced to five years in prison for Fodder Scam

Lalu Yadav, convicted in the fodder scam, was sentenced to five years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh. He also stands disqualified from the parliament post sentencing.

Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and Janata Dal-United MP Jagdish Sharma too were sentenced to four years imprisonment in the case.

RJD spokesperson states that they will appeal the sentence in a higher court.

The sentencing infodder scam case announced today by the CBI court that has convicted 44 individuals including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav

As Yadav's lawyer completed arguments in the case on September 17, special CBI Judge PK Singh will pronounce the judgment in the case No RC 20 A/96 today. Yadav moved the Jharkhand High Court and later the Supreme Court, seeking change of the judge in the case.Both the courts dismissed his petition, and directed him to complete argument in the case before the CBI court. Yadav had in his petition alleged that trial court judge PK Singh was biased against him as he is a relative of PK Shahi, Education Minister in the Nitish Kumar Government in Bihar, "who is his (Yadav''s) biggest political enemy".

Authorities in Bihar sounded an alert across the state, apprehending trouble after the court pronounced verdict in a multi-crore fodder scam case involving Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The case pertains to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa Treasury in the 1990s. The FIR was lodged by Bihar government in February 1996 but the case was transferred to CBI a month later. CBI had investigated the scam for a year and the charge sheet was filed in 1997. The charges were framed in 2000 following which the Special CBI court commenced trial against Lalu Yadav and 44 other accused.

RJD's plea had faced stiff opposition from JD-U leader Rajiv Ranjan who submitted that it would be a ‘travesty of justice’ if the judge is transferred at the far end of the trial. He submitted that it would give a wrong impression to the entire country if the judge is transferred and raised a question on RJD supremo's petition seeking transfer of the judge who has been hearing the case since 2011.

The fodder scam also known as "Chara Ghotala" involved the siphoning of funds from the Bihar Government treasury. The alleged theft spanned over several years, and many Bihar state government administrative and elected officials across multiple administrations were allegedly engaged in it.

Additionally, there are also allegations that they were involved in the fabrication of "vast herds of fictitious livestock" for which fodder, medicines and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured. The fodder scam was unearthed in Bihar in 1996 when Lalu Prasad was the Chief Minister of the state. He had resigned from the post in 1997 after a court issued an arrest warrant against him in connection with one of the cases.

Besides the RJD supremo, other accused persons include former Bihar Chief Minister Mishra and JD(U) MP Jagdish Sharma.

The judgement in the fodder scam is likely to have a bearing on Bihar politics, as the RJD chief will face immediate disqualification as a Lok Sabha member if convicted as per a Supreme Court order that an MP or legislator would stand disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with punishment of two years or more.

The government later promulgated an ordinance to undo the apex court order, prompting opposition BJP to allege that it had been done to protect Lau Prasad Yadav in case he is indicted in the fodder scam.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has, however, slammed the ordinance as "complete nonsense" which should be "torn up and thrown away," leaving its fate uncertain.

The RJD chief faces immediate disqualification as Lok Sabha member under a recent Supreme Court order that an MP or MLA would stand disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with punishment of two years or more and under some other laws even without jail sentence.

The August judgement of the Supreme Court struck down a provision in the electoral law that provided protection to sitting MPs and MLAs by allowing them to continue in their posts if they appeal against a lower court conviction and secure a stay of the order.

Lalu would have got protection from disqualification if the ordinance promulgated by the Centre was cleared by President Pranab Mukherjee but he is said to have some reservations and raised questions over it.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has compounded problems by attacking the ordinance and calling for its withdrawal, virtually sealing its fate.

RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said they would challenge the order in a higher court after the sentence is known.

We will fight this issue electorally: Lalu's son Tejaswi

"We will appeal in the high court against the order. We will also take up the issue in the people's court. We will give a fitting reply in the polls," Tejsawi told reporters after his father was taken to jail.

Lok Janshakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said that the law is taking its own course in the fodder scam case surrounding former Bihar chief ministers Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Prasad Yadav, and assured his party’s full support to the RJD during this tough time.

Meanwhile, expressing his sadness over Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav’s conviction in connection with the multi-crore fodder scam, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said the former will provide evidences of his innocence before a higher court.

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad will appeal in the Jharkhand High Court against his conviction in a fodder scam case, his family said on Monday and alleged he had fallen victim to 'conspiracy' by his rivals.

Credits: dnaindia

Fodder scam verdict LIVE: Lalu Prasad to be sentenced at 3:00 pm

1:50 pm: Sentence to be announced at 3:00 pm 

Special CBI judge Pravas Kumar Singh is likely to pronounce the punishment at 3 PM through videoconferencing. The 65-year-old Prasad and other convicts are currently lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail of Ranchi. 

12:35 pm: Raghuvansh Prasad Singh backs Lalu 

Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh alleges that the UPA's decision to withdraw the ordinance on convicted politicians is a conspiracy by the Congress, BJP and Janata Dal (United) to ensure that Lalu Prasad Yadav is framed in the fodder scam case.

Singh, who was talking to media ahead of Lalu's sentencing in a fodder scam case, said: "The BJP wants that Laluji should be framed and try to gain political mileage out of it. The JD (U) also took into account the fact that it will gain if Laluji goes to jail."

12:10 pm: CBI demands maximum punishment for Lalu Prasad

The Central Bureau of Investigation seeks maximum prison term of up to seven years for Lalu Prasad and other convicts. "We argued that he (Lalu) be awarded strictest punishment so that it be a lesson for others," says BMP Singh, CBI lawyer.

Also Read: Lalu Prasad - Priosner number 3312 in Birsa Munda Jail

11:40 am: Arguments conclude

Arguments on the quantum of sentence to RJD leader Lalu Prasad and 36 other accused in the fodder scam case complete in a special court in Ranchi with the CBI seeking maximum prison term of up to seven years for them. Lalu's counsel demands minimum sentence for the RJD chief keeping in mind his conduct and good performance as the then railway minister. The counsel also argued that the former Bihar CM is an eminent, senior citizen. 

Jagannath Mishra's lawyer demands minimum punishment for him, citing poor health and old age. 

Also Read: Lalu Prasad convicted in fodder scam: Key facts and timeline 

11:25 pm: Arguments begin on sentencing of Lalu Prasad 

Arguments on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar chief minister Jagannth Mishra and others convicted in a fodder scam case begin in a Special CBI court in Ranchi. 


According to legal experts, Lalu Prasad could be sentenced to a jail term of four to seven years. His lawyer told reporters that he would seek minimum sentence. 

Lalu Prasad, Jagannath Mishra and 43 others were convicted in a fodder scam case RC 20 A/96 related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.70 crore from Chaibasa district treasury. After the division of Bihar, the district is now in Jharkhand. 

The CBI court had on September 30 convicted all the 45 accused, including Lalu Prasad, in the fodder scam case. 

Credits: zeenews

Fodder scam: Lalu Prasad to be sentenced today; will he be shown leniency?

The CBI court in Ranchi will announce the quantum of sentence to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and 34 of those convicted in the multi-crore fodder scam case through videoconferencing on Thursday.

On Monday, the court of special judge PK Singh had held Lalu and 44 others guilty of fraudulently withdrawing Rs. 37.70 crore from Chaibasa treasury between 1994 and 1995. Lalu also faces disqualification from Parliament as MP after his sentence.

Lalu’s counsel senior advocate Chitranjan Sinha said they will appeal for a lenient sentence for the RJD chief citing his stature as a former Union minister and health.

Senior advocate Surender Singh from Jabalpur high court will argue on Lalu’s behalf in the first half of the court session and the court will start pronouncing the statement at 2:30pm.

Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, also convicted in the case, is undergoing treatment at Ranchi’s Rajendra Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). He will either be shifted to jail or produced before the court on Thursday as there is no videoconferencing facility in the hospital.

"The court may defer the date of pronouncement of sentences with respect to Mishra,” said senior advocate of high court BM Tripathy.

Out of the 45 people convicted, 34 -- including Lalu – are lodged at Jharkhand’s Birsa Munda Central Jail since Monday.

The court had released eight convicts on bail the same day as they were sentenced to three years imprisonment. The court had also issued arrest warrant against three convicts who failed to appear before the court.

Credits: hindustantimes

In Birsa Munda jail, a tiled toilet, TV and khaini for qaidi No. 3312 Lalu Prasad

RANCHI: From the uncrowned king of Bihar to "qaidi no 3312" at Birsa Munda Central Jail, it has been a steep descent for RJD chief Lalu Prasad. More worrying for him is the sentencing on Thursday as the CBI is seeking a minimum of three to a maximum of seven years imprisonment for the former CM held guilty in the animal husbandry fodder scam case. Also the conviction comes when the ordinance protecting convicted netas has been thrown out, and there will be no trappings for them in prison.

But Lalu loyalists are not prepared to accept his fall. He is being treated with reverence inside the jail too, said one RJD worker. "From tile-fitted attached bathroom to TV with cable connection, he has it all in the jail," he claimed. Jail officials and staff are bending over backwards paying obeisance to him. "Kabhi to woh log bhi Bihar mein rahen honge (many of them must have worked in Bihar when he was CM)," they said.

When reverence is so high, good food and a good life is not a big deal nor is "khaini or paan".

"Everybody visiting him is bringing him delicacies from top restaurants. Lalu is taking a bite from every packet - from 'sattu roti and baigan chokha' to a la carte," a visitor said. He is on a vegetarian diet and with the Navratras close, milk and fruit will be sufficiently available.

Lalu's first night was restless due to "change of place". "He is not in the habit of sleeping inside a mosquito net, so two liquid repellents were given to him," a visitor said. Besides, two convict are at his disposal.

In December 2001, when Lalu was in judicial custody in a camp jail here in the same case during the regime of then unfriendly BJP government, he had organized a transfer for himself to Beur jail in Bihar.

"Yahan jab sarkar hi apni hai, Bihar kyon jaana chahenge? (when it's his own government here, why should he want to go to Bihar?)" a loyalist when asked whether he would prefer Beur to Birsa Munda jail now. RJD with five MLAs is a coalition partner in Jharkhand with two ministers. Unconfirmed reports said jail superintendent Dharmendra Pandey was shifted for daring to lecture RJD minister Annapurna Devi on jail rules.

The Jail officials, however, are foxed about "billa no 3312" allotted to Lalu. "We haven't allotted any number to him," said Virendra Kumar, jail superintendent. On Wednesday, the stream of visitors was down to a trickle after Lalu asked his men to concentrate on Bihar Lok Sabha elections.

Lalu Prasad Yadav convicted, disqualified, jailed

With date of sentencing postponed to October 3, Lalu will not be able to go on appeal as the high court will take a break of at least 15 days for Durga Puja from October 4.

Lalu Prasad Yadav

The special CBI court in Ranchi on Monday preferred to reserve judgment on the period of imprisonment to the high-profile accused, including Rashtriya Janta Dal supremo and former CM of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, former CM Jagannath Mishra and JDU MP from Jehanabad, Jagdish Sharma, while convicting all 45 accused in the multi-crore fodder scam case.

The court contended that the 475-page judgment divided into seven chapters could not be photocopied for want of adequate pace of photocopy machines and therefore it was unable to decide on the quantum of sentence. It will be decided on October 3.
Whatever the reason, the court’s decision has dealt a major blow to Lalu. Unless the final judgment is pronounced, Lalu can neither move the higher court in appeal nor can he pray for bail. He will have to remain in judicial custody till the sentencing. The date slated for the pronouncement of sentencing will keep him behind bars for at least a fortnight.

If a sentence of five years or above imprisonment is awarded to Lalu, the set provisions do not allow him to obtain bail. As such, he will be left with no option except to challenge the judgment in a higher court. Yadav’s son Tejashwi said Lalu will challenge the decision of the CBI court in the higher court. Significantly, the next date of the court ensures that he cannot have respite forthwith. If the final judgment is pronounced on October 3, the Jharkhand high court is not available to entertain the appeal. The HC will remain closed from October 4 for about 15 days on account of Durga Puja.

Consequently, Lalu cannot move the HC and will have to be in jail for 15 days.

Moreover, if the deposition by the CBI in court on September 17 is any yardstick to go by, the judgment of the CBI court will be quashed in the higher court. As per Yadav’s counsel Surendra Singh, the CBI court order is liable to be quashed in the HC. He claimed that there was no evidence of direct involvement of Yadav in the scam.

Lalu Prasad convicted in fodder scam case, faces disqualification as MP

In a body blow to RJD before next year's Lok Sabha polls, its president Lalu Prasad was on Monday convicted by a special CBI court here in the fodder scam corruption case. The conviction disqualifies him from Parliament and renders him ineligible for contesting elections for at least six years.

Another 44 accused, including former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, six politicians and four IAS officers, were also convicted by court of Pravas Kumar Singh for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury.

The court fixed October 3 for pronouncement of sentence against Yadav, Mishra and others in the case filed in April, 1996.

The RJD chief faces immediate disqualification as Lok Sabha member under a recent Supreme Court order that an MP or MLA would stand disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with punishment of two years or more and under some other laws even without jail sentence.

The July 10 judgement of the Supreme Court struck down a provision in the electoral law that provided protection to sitting MPs and MLAs by allowing them to continue in their posts if they appeal against a lower court conviction and secure a stay of the order.

Lalu would have got protection from disqualification if the ordinance promulgated by the Centre was cleared by President Pranab Mukherjee but he is said to have some reservations and raised questions over it.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has compounded problems by attacking the ordinance and calling for its withdrawal, virtually sealing its fate.

RJD Spokesperson Manoj Jha said they would challenge the order in a higher court after the sentence is known.

Earlier, Prasad arrived at the special CBI court here before delivery of the verdict in the 17-year-old case.

The court had on September 17 set today's date to pass orders in the case.

Among others, IAS officers Mahesh Prasad, Phoolchand Singh, Beck Juleus, K Arumugam, income tax officer AC Choudhary, former AHD officials and fodder suppliers were also among the accused.

Prasad had begun arguments on September 9 and ended it on September 17 after the Supreme Court turned down his request to change the current special court to another court after he apprehended political conspiracy.

Following the animal husbandry scam, popularly known as the fodder scam, Prasad had to resign as chief minister of Bihar.

After installing his wife Rabri Devi as the chief minister, Yadav had surrendered to a court inPatna on July 31, 1997.

Later, he came to Ranchi following a court order that Ranchi had the jurisdiction of the case. The Mecon Guest House was converted to a camp jail in Ranchi before he was shifted to the old Birsa Munda Jail at Circular road here.

After Jharkhand's bifurcation on November 15, 2000, the litigations were brought before the Supreme Court whether the Patna high court had the jurisdiction on the cases in this part of the undivided Bihar and trial was stayed till December 2000 to December 2001.

The SC had said in November, 2001 that trial would be conducted by special courts in Ranchi.

Trial in Ranchi began in March, 2002 by seven special courts. The case was posted for defence of Prasad from May 15 and Prasad's counsel examined 29 witnesses in his defence.

But when the defence continued to skip dates, the court fixed July 15 to deliver the judgement and asked the accused to complete arguments by July 1.

Subsequently, Prasad moved the Supreme Court pleading shifting of his case from the court of Pravas Kumar Singh on the ground of political conspiracy, which the apex court struck down, paving the way for the first judgement against Prasad.