The sensational revelation by former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra that it was then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda who ensured that lalu Prasad was implicated in the fodder scam in 1996 and that he (Mishra) he ‘falsely’ implicated in the same scam by then AICC president Sitaram Kesri has refreshed the old rivalries among the political stalwarts.
Even if the claims of Mishra, who has been acquitted by the CBI court of Ranchi last week, could be a subject of debate in the political and intellectual circles what is true beyond doubt that there had been hatred, rivalry and cordial relations among the top politicians of that time.
Mishra, then in Congress and leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly and then AICC chief Kesri did not see eye to eye and could go to any extent to damage the reputation of each other. On the other hand then CM lalu treated Congress president as Kesri Chacha and would seek guidance and help from the shrewdest politician from Danapur, the second person to head the oldest party.
lalu who in 90’s was being projected by his party as the ‘king-maker’ would took credit for picking up Deve Gowda and appointing him Prime Minister. Again he would claim making IK Gujral as Prime Minister. lalu would brag advising or instructing the two when they were holding the highest political office.
But there had been times that Deve Gowda and his successor Gujral expressed their inability to help lalu when the CBI took over the fodder scam on the orders of the Supreme Court that left lalu fuming. If Mishra is to be believed Gowda had personal differences with lalu as he wanted to oust Ramkrishna Hegde from the party but lalu constantly refused to support then PM. “Deve Gowda got an opportunity to teach lalu a lesson when fodder scam surfaced and CBI was ordered to take over the probe. The PM somehow managed to get the support of then Congress chief Kesri in his mission to implicate lalu. But Kesri put up a condition that not only lalu but Mishra too should be implicated in the same scandal,” said former CM who after quitting Congress joined JD(U) and now supporting BJP.
Mishra claimed that when he came to know about his name being dragged in the case he met Deve Gowda who pleaded that despite knowing that he was not involved in the scam but he was not in a position to help him. He further claimed that then CBI director Joginder Singh also confessed that there was no case against him. “I only wrote a letter recommending extension to the service of an Animal Husbandry Department official SB Sinha. It was just a letter not an official order because I was not the CM at that time,” said octogenarian Mishra.