Sushil Modi’s new ‘break’: Lalu made couple will property to his sons for council seat

RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Modi said, also prevailed upon the couple, Mohammad Shamim and Sofia Tabassum, to write out the power of attorney for a property in the name of his wife Rabri Devi, a former chief minister.

In a stunning revelation, deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, on Wednesday, alleged that RJD president Lalu Prasad forced one Mohammad Shamim to write out his will bestowing two plots of land worth Rs 2 crore in a prime location of the state capital upon his sons, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Tej Pratap.

Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi addressing a press conference in Patna on Wednesday.(AP Dube/HTPhoto)

This, the BJP leader alleged, was a quid pro quo for Prasad making Shamim a member of the Bihar legislative on Governor’s quota. 

Modi, who has been attacking the RJD chief and his family members for the past 145 days, accusing them of acquiring benami properties worth over Rs 1,000 crore, alleged that Lalu Prasad also “grabbed” immovable assets by employing the ‘deed of will’ mode.

Prasad, Modi said, also prevailed upon Shamim to write out the power of attorney for the said property in the name of his wife Rabri Devi, a former chief minister. 

The RJD leadership outrightly rejected the deputy chief minister’s contention, with state chief spokesperson, Shakti Singh Yadav telling HT, “Sushil Modi is given to hyperbole, which has no context or relation with truth,whatsoever. He is a Goebbels”

He alleged Modi and chief miinister Nitish Kumar had a hand in the Rs 1,300-crore Srijan scam and had been forced to cite such instances, to distract people and provoke reaction against RJD after the success of its August 27 rally.

“Modi is yet to rebut RJD allegations as to how his brother acquired huge properties through shell companies”, Yadav said.

However, Modi told newsmen that Mohammad Shamim and his wife Sofia Tabassum wrote out a will on May 12, 2005 in favour of Lalu’s sons, Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, expressing their wish to bestow upon them two plots (roughly six katthas of land) in Vijay Vihar Co-operative near Saguna Mor in West Patna after their death. Shamim was made MLC in 1998.

The will also mentions, that in case the said legatees die earlier then the immovable property, shall go and devolve upon the legatees’ heirs only-which is Tej Pratap’s and Tejashwi’s children, Modi claimed.  

Quoting the document, Modi said that in his deed of will, Shamim wrote, “That the legatees have been very close to the testator for a long time and like their own nephew; they and their father have been sincerely serving the testator and have even helped him.” 

The document further said, “The faithful service of legatees pleased the testator and so the testator desired to make a will in favour of the legatees…” 

Shamim also mentioned in his deed that his other legal heirs and successors, or any other else, shall have no right, title or interest of any nature whatsoever in the schedule property. If any objection is raised regarding this will, then it shall be treated null and void. 

Modi said, it was quite strange that though the Shamim couple had three children, they chose to make the will in favour of Lalu’s sons. 

Significantly, Shamim and his wife had handed over the plots to Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi through a “power of attorney” in May 2005 itself, Modi said. 

The deputy CM wondered as to the circumstances under which the Shamim couple chose to make the will in favour of Lalu’s sons, while ignoring the interest of their three legal heirs. 

He also asked as to what services Lalu’s minor sons could have provided to the Shamim couple , making them frame the will in their favour, while challenging RJD chief Lalu Prasad to make the facts public. “If Lalu suspects my allegation, then he is free to contradict my charges,” he added. 

Modi sought to make it clear that he had no information about the present status of the properties. 

Recalling his earlier exposes, the deputy CM said, that in lieu of the largesses, the RJD chief used to oblige people by way of seats in the legislature and parliament, ministerships and other modes of pelf and power.