Tejashwi Yadav, former Bihar deputy chief minister and son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, is being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities in awarding contracts to a private firm nearly a decade ago.
His questioning comes a day after Prasad was questioned for more than seven hours in the same case.
Yadav reached at the CBI headquarters a little after 11am and was straightway taken to the investigation officer in the case. The contracts were given during Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister between 2004 and 2009.
Before reaching CBI headquarters, Tejashwi tweeted that even if the speed of “their lies” is fast, their lies will lose and “our” truth will emerge victorious in the end. He added the “thread of truth may be longer but no one can break it”.
Tejashwi and his father had skipped three summons by the CBI seeking more time due to other political engagements.
The probe agency has alleged in its FIR that when Prasad was the railways minister, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation – a subsidiary of the Indian Railways – handed over maintenance of its two hotels in Ranchi and Puri 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.
{{/usCountry}}The probe agency has alleged in its FIR that when Prasad was the railways minister, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation – a subsidiary of the Indian Railways – handed over maintenance of its two hotels in Ranchi and Puri 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.
{{/usCountry}}The case registered by the CBI named Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi and Sarla Gupta – the wife of former Union minister Prem Chand Gupta – as the accused in the case.
Tejashwi’s questioning is likely to continue till evening.
Prasad has termed his and Tejashwi’s summoning as a political vendetta.
Prasad told reporters after his questioning that he turned railways profitable during his stint as the railway minister. The RJD chief added he will uproot communalism and fascism even if he was hanged by the Bharatiya Janata Party.