Lalu for Par panel probe into allegations of accounting fraud

With his tenure as Railway Minister coming under cloud, Lalu Prasad on Monday rejected charges of financial jugglery and demanded setting up of a Parliamentary Committee within seven days to inquire into allegations to clear "doubts".

With his tenure as Railway Minister coming under cloud, Lalu Prasad on Monday rejected charges of financial jugglery and demanded setting up of a Parliamentary Committee within seven days to inquire into allegations to clear "doubts".

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Hours after BJP alleged that the claims of turnaround of Railways under Prasad were questionable, the combative RJD chief said "confusion" was being created about the performance of the ministry.

He insisted that accounts of the Ministry during his term were clear and that his tenure was the "golden period" of Indian Railways.

The accounts of the Railways during his five-year term, he said, may be verified by officials of Reserve Bank or the Railway Board.

He said a Parliamentary Committee should be set up within seven days as doubts have been raised about his performance and particularly about cash surplus of Rs 90,000 crore.

Earlier, initiating the debate on the Rail Budget, BJP member Ananth Kumar alleged that accounts had been fudged during Prasad's tenure to present a wrong picture and demanded that actual condition of the Railways should be made public within 60 days.

Questioning the claims of turnaround of Railways, Kumar had said it was being done through "jugglery" and "Gumrah trick (misleading trick)" and likened it to the Satyam accounting fraud.