The CBI on Thursday questioned RJD chief lalu Prasad for nearly eight hours in connection with a case of alleged irregularities in giving the maintenance contract for two IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) hotels to a private firm. lalu had defied three summons in the past but was forced to show up after being denied more time. The CBI has also summoned his son and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the same case on Friday.
According to the CBI FIR, when lalu was the Union Minister, the IRCTC — a subsidiary of the Indian Railways — handed over the maintenance of its two hotels in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Puri (Odisha) to Sujata Hotel, a company owned by
Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, in return for a prime plot of three acres in Patna through a benami company.
A case was registered against lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi, and Sarla Gupta, wife of
Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union Minister.
lalu, a former Railway Minister, appeared before the CBI at the CBI headquarters on lodi Road around 11.30 am. lalu was escorted by his daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member. Bharti is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case involving shell companies.
Sources said lalu faced over 100 questions related to the case during his eight hours questioning.
Asked if the former Bihar Chief Minister will again be summoned for another round of questioning, CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said, “The agency will decide it later. If needed he will be called again.”
After his questioning, lalu told reporters that it was a political vendetta against his family. “I have turned around loss-making Railways with record of Rs 7,000 crore profit. It was a case study for Harvard … and now they are accusing of a scam, this is a political conspiracy against me and the family member,” lalu said.
The RJD supremo also praised the investigating agency, saying that they were cordial with him during questioning. “They are doing what Indian Government is telling them or instructing them,” he said.
Earlier, lalu did not speak to the media while entering the CBI headquarters in New Delhi at 11am. “At lunch time, the investigating agency organised a special, low spice meal of jeera rice, aloo chokha and arhar dal for the 69-year-old RJD leader,” said sources.