Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has maintained a silence over the chargesheet in opposition to his deputy and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Tejashwi Yadav within the land-for-jobs rip-off case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chargesheet, which got here final week on 4 July, additionally names Lalu Prasad Yadav and his spouse Rabri Devi.
The alleged land-for-jobs rip-off pertains to corruption and bribery between 2004-2009 when Lalu Yadav was the Union Railways Minister and Kumar’s silence is elevating questions on his declare of zero tolerance in opposition to the 3Cs — corruption, crime, and communalism.
Extra so, as a result of it’s a far cry from 2017 when he snapped ties with the RJD over Tejashwi being named as an accused within the IRCTC resort sale rip-off. Again then, he walked again to the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP), bringing the grand alliance authorities down and reinstating the Nationwide Democratic Alliance within the state. Comparable instances of Kumar demonstrating his zero tolerance in the direction of corruption mark his a number of tenures because the CM.
However leaders of the Janata Dal (United) are toeing Kumar’s line and say there are not any plans to hunt Tejashwi’s resignation this time. “Completely not. The charge-sheeting of Tejashwi Yadav is a entice. We’re not going to fall within the entice this time. The chargesheet is geared toward upsetting the bid of the Opposition to oust (PM Narendra) Modi from energy in 20224,” mentioned JD(U) nationwide president Lallan Singh to ThePrint.
Celebration leaders preserve that whereas the land-for-jobs rip-off was dropped at gentle by JD(U) president Lallan Singh and RJD vice-president Shivanand Tiwari, the CBI started investigating it solely after the JD(U) broke its alliance with the BJP in August 2022.
Nonetheless, one other JD(U) chief conceded on the situation of anonymity: “His silence on Tejashwi Yadav is in opposition to his nature. It has tarnished his picture as a person who doesn’t compromise on the 3Cs.”
In the meantime, the Opposition would possibly nook the federal government over the problem throughout the winter session of the meeting starting 10 July. BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel mentioned to ThePrint, “Nitish Kumar is now not the person he was in 2015, 2017 and even 2022. He has a political compulsion to stay silent.”
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Earlier events
Again in 2005, JD(U) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi give up the Kumar authorities hours after taking oath. He had an investigation pending in opposition to him relating to recognition of personal B.Ed schools. The vigilance division later cleared his identify and he was reinstated.
In 2008, JD(U) chief and Transport Minister Ramanand Prasad Singh give up due to a vigilance division case in opposition to him for the acquisition of allegedly inferior high quality materials for a thermal energy plant when he was its chief engineer in 1990.
In 2011, BJP minister in Kumar’s authorities, Ramadhar Singh needed to give up when it was discovered that he had been declared an ‘absconder’ by a court docket in 1995. The case was associated to an alleged communal speech he gave in Aurangabad. Regardless of Singh’s declare that he had obtained a bail within the case, he was pressured to give up.
In 2020, newly appointed Schooling Minister Mewa Lal Choudhary three days after taking oath as a corruption case was pending in opposition to him. The case associated to irregularities in appointments in Bihar Agriculture College when he was its vice-chancellor. Curiously, it was then Chief of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav who led the assault demanding his sacking.
In August 2022, Regulation Minister Kartik Singh of the RJD needed to give up the ministry days after taking oath as he was dealing with a prison case referring to kidnapping. Mockingly, he was alleged to be in court docket the day of his swearing-in. A warrant of arrest was pending in opposition to him.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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