Land-for-jobs scam: Tejashwi Yadav leaves CBI office for lunch; goes to meet wife admitted in Delhi hospital

New Delhi: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav who appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs case on Saturday afternoon, left the CBI office for a lunch break and went straight to meet his pregnant wife, who is admitted to a hospital in South Delhi.
He is being questioned in the land-for-jobs case at CBI headquarters here. Earlier in the day, Tejashwi left for the CBI office in the national capital for questioning.
"We have been cooperating with investigative agencies from the beginning. But the kind of political environment prevailing in the country... It is easy to bow down. But it is very tough to fight," Yadav told the media before leaving his residence in New Delhi for the CBI headquarters.
"We have chosen to fight. We will fight and we will prevail," Yadav added.
The CBI in its first chargesheet filed in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs scam stated that irregular appointments of candidates were made in Central Railway, violating the laid down norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment.
As a quid-pro-quo, the candidates directly or through their immediate relatives/family members, sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav (then Union Railway Minister) at highly discounted rates up to 1/4th to 1/5th of the prevailing market rates, stated CBI.
CBI further stated that investigation revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav during the period 2007-08 when he was Union Minister of Railways, with the intent to acquire the land parcels situated in Vill- Mahuabagh, Patna and Vill-Kunjwa, Patna which were located adjacent to the land parcels already owned by his family members; entered into a criminal conspiracy with his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misha Bharati, Officers of Central Railways namely Sowmya Raghvan the then General Manager, Kamal Deep Mainrai, the then Chief Personnel Officer, and residents of Vill-Mahjabagh, Patna and Vill-Bindaul, Bihta, Patna and Patna City namely Raj Kumar Singh, Mithlesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Ravindra Ray, Kiran Devi, Akhileshwar Singh, Ramashish Singh.
According to the CBI, all the candidates after their engagement as substitutes were subsequently regularized.
In lieu of getting them appointed in Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav got the lands owned by candidates and their family members transferred in the names of his wife Rabri Devi and Misha Bharti for sale consideration which was much lesser than the prevailing circle rates as well as the prevailing market rates. (ANI)