Fate of two stalwart politicians of Bihar — RJD supremo lalu Prasad and former State Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra — will be sealed on Monday when the designated CBI court in Ranchi will pronounce judgment in the multi-crore fodder scam.
In an apparent bid to delay the trial court’s proceedings, lalu had petitioned the Supreme Court for transfer of the case from the present court of Pravas Kumar Singh, but the apex court turned down the plea.
After no breather from the SC, the beleaguered RJD boss is said to be seeking divine intervention for the relief. When party leaders and legislators reached 10, Circular Road, the official residence of Rabri Devi, to meet their party chief, lalu was busy performing a special puja. A party insider confirmed The Pioneer that for the most part of Saturday lalu remained confined to his puja room.
On Friday, when the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi dropped the political bombshell declaring that the Ordinance on convicted politicians should be torn up and thrown out, lalu was pleading on phone to someone on Haj tour to pray for him.
Following the CBI court fixing September 30 as the date for pronouncing the judgment, Yadav visited Shirdi and Ujjain to offer puja.
If convicted, lalu will be the first casualty of the Supreme Court judgement that has laid down that convicted legislatures will face immediate disqualification. The Monday’s court verdict will also decide the future of the RJD.
There are 45 accused in the CBI case RC 20A-96 relating to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of `37.7 crore in the 1990s from the treasury of Chaibasa, then part of undivided Bihar. Originally, there were 56 accused in the case but 11 accused have since turned approver or died.
Out of the 53 cases in multi-crore fodder scam unearthed in 1996, judgments have been delivered in 44 cases.
Besides lalu and Mishra, other accused in the case include former Bihar Animal Husbandry Minister Vidya Sagar Nishad, JD(U) MP Jagdish Sharma, former RJD MP and party leader RK Rana and former BJP MlA Dhruv Bhagat.
With a grim face, lalu left for Ranchi on Sunday afternoon along with his younger son and about a dozen party leaders and legislators to appear before the designated CBI court on Monday.
For the last three days, lalu has been camping in Patna holding confabulations with family members, close confidants and party leaders but avoided making any media comment over the upcoming court verdict.
Political pundits and observers in Patna kept guessing on who would pull the party strings of RJD in the absence of lalu, especially at a time when the general elections are approaching.
Earlier, lalu had floated the name of party MP from Vaishali, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, as the caretaker of the party in his absence but he had to retreat after some senior party leaders opposed the idea.
Recently a decision was taken that a core committee of some party leaders would be formed to look after the party affairs in his absence. The idea, said party insiders, was well received. “The party would function collectively and unitedly if the verdict goes against our leader,” said a party leader, “but, hope and believe such a situation would not emerge”, he added quickly.