Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, is set to dump Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and form a government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On its sidelines, a war of words has started between Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and current Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Nitish Kumar. Even before BJP and Nitish Kumar could announce formation of a new government, the prominent newspapers in Bihar were packed with advertisements from RJD thanking Tejashwi Yadav for various development projects.
The advertisements attracted sharp criticism from the Janata Dal-United (JDU), led by Nitish Kumar. The party has directly accused RJD of being involved in land for job scam. Responding to the ads, JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “The RJD has a knack of exchanging jobs for land. They wanted to play the same game this time, but Nitish Kumar did not allow it. The RJD attempted to play it in the Revenue Department as well, but Nitish Kumar put a stop to it by blocking the transfer-posting list.”
On the other hand, the Yadav family’s troubles have intensified in the Land For Job scam. Following the submission of an allegation letter related to the financial irregularities, the court has summoned seven individuals including former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav. Special Judge Vishal Gogne directed the accused to appear before the court on 9th February. The court emphasised that there is ample evidence on record to proceed with the case. Furthermore, a production warrant has been issued against Amit Katyal, a businessman who is currently in judicial custody.
Notably, Nitish was part of the I.N.D.I. Alliance along with RJD. However, relations between the allied parties seem to have soured in Bihar. Congress and RJD were supposed to meet to discuss strategies moving ahead, however, the meeting was postponed to Sunday (28th January).
Land for jobs scam
The CBI initiated a preliminary enquiry in September 2021 into the charges that when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister during UPA 1, he obtained benefits in the form of the transfer of property in the names of his family members in exchange for the appointments of substitutes in Group “D” posts in various Railway zones. CBI had found that a number of residents of Patna obtained jobs in the Railways in different zones in the country after they had gifted, or sold at very low prices, lands in Patna, Delhi and other places, to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family or to a company controlled by the family. AK Infosystems Private Limited is alleged to be one such company.
The ED case in Land For Jobs, which was brought under the criminal provisions of the PMLA, stems from the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to the CBI, there was no advertisement or public notice for the employment issued, but certain Patna residents were employed as substitutes in various zonal railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hazipur.