Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav will not appear Saturday for questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation - in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam - as his pregnant wife is in hospital, sources told news agency ANI. Sources said Rajshree Yadav fainted after 'twelve hours of interrogation (by the Enforcement Directorate) due to blood pressure problems'.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader's wife was admitted to a private hospital. This was after the ED raided over two dozen locations linked to Tejashwi, members of his family, and recovered ₹70 lakh in cash and over 1.5 kg of gold jewellery.
READ | ₹70 lakh and $US 900 in cash found in raids on Tejashwi, sisters
Tejashwi himself was questioned by the ED for over 11 hours yesterday.
Apart from the ED, the CBI had also summoned Tejashwi Yadav - on March 4 - but he did not appear, so today's date was given, news agency PTI said.
The CBI has already questioned his mother and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi at her Patna residence, and his father and RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is also an ex-Bihar CM, at the Delhi home of his sister, MP Misa Bharti.
{{/usCountry}}The CBI has already questioned his mother and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi at her Patna residence, and his father and RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is also an ex-Bihar CM, at the Delhi home of his sister, MP Misa Bharti.
{{/usCountry}}READ | 'She herself decided...': CBI on fury over visit to Rabri Devi's home
Other members of the RJD have also been questioned and their properties have been searched, as central agencies investigate an alleged scam that took place between 2004 and 2009 - when Lalu Yadav was the union railway minister.
The CBI and ED's actions have invited criticism from RJD leaders, who have accused the BJP of being 'afraid of losing and using agencies' to target the party.
Allies Janata Dal (United) also backed the RJD; the party's national president Lalan Singh alleged that pregnant women and children were being harassed.
"… CBI could not gather evidence after investigating twice… but after August 9, 2022 (referring to Bihar's ruling JD(U) dropping the BJP and allying with the RJD), suddenly they started getting evidence from divine power…" he said.
“This kind of ruthless behaviour with pregnant women and small children has happened for the first time in the country, and country will remember it…"
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar also spoke in support and took a swipe at the BJP in the process. "… this happened in 2017. Then we (Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and the RJD) went our separate ways… five years went by and, when we came together, raids occurred again. What can I say…" he told reporters.