Rakesh kumar
The CBI is questioning former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi at her residence in Patna in relation to an alleged land-for-jobs scam.
Rabri Devi’s statement will be recorded, and it is not an investigation or search, according to CBI sources, who added that an appointment had been made.
)
The interrogation comes one day after eight opposition parties sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the BJP of misusing central agencies for political purposes. Among the signatories was Tejashash Yadav, the son of Rabri Devi and the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. The letter mentioned Lalu Yadav, former chief minister of Bihar and patriarch of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), as one of the opposition leaders targeted by central agencies. It stated that the actions of central agencies “often sparked suspicion that they were operating as an extension of the ruling regime.”
Among others, Mr. Yadav, Rabri Devi, and their daughters Misa and Hema are named in the CBI’s land-for-jobs case. An FIR filed in May 2022 accuses Mr. Yadav and members of his family of purchasing land at rock-bottom prices in exchange for jobs distributed during his tenure as Union Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.
ALSO READ: TN BJP IT cell chief quits party, joins AIADMK
In addition to the veteran politician, his wife, and daughters, the FIR names 12 individuals who allegedly received employment in exchange for property. The CBI detained Mr. Yadav’s assistant and former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Bhola Yadav in July of last year.
Rabri Devi is being questioned one week before the Yadavs and the other accused in the case are scheduled to appear in court in Delhi.
Last year, the CBI lodged a chargesheet for the crimes of conspiracy and corruption. The FIR contends that some Patna residents were appointed as substitutes for Group-D positions in the Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur railway zones. In exchange, it is alleged that these individuals conveyed land ownership to Mr. Yadav’s family members and a company that was subsequently acquired by the family.
In some instances, land was allegedly transferred to the Yadavs for pennies on the dollar. According to the CBI case, the appointments were made in violation of the Railways’ regulations.
The leaders of the RJD have dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Ms. Devi stated a week ago that the BJP is afraid of Mr. Yadav. “We will not flee. We have been confronting these allegations for thirty years. In Bihar, the BJP is afraid of Lalu Yadav.”
