Political coalition a separate issue: Cong on verdict
New Delhi, Dec. 23: Criminal cases and political coalition are separate matters and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav is fully capable of fighting his legal battle, the Congress said here on Saturday, after the former Bihar chief minister was convicted in a fodder scam case by a special CBI court in Ranchi.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari also alleged that the CBI was a “pet performing parrot of this government” and questioned why similar actions were not initiated against Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in the Srijan scam, in which the “quantum of embezzlement was of a much greater order”.
“Why are there different strokes for different folks?” he alleged, while demanding an SIT probe into the Srijan scam.
The special CBI court on Saturday convicted Lalu Prasad and 15 others in the fodder scam case while acquitting six including another former chief minister Jagannath Mishra.
“Lalu Prasad’s legal fight is not going on from today. It is going on from 1996. It had started when some leaders associated with the BJP had filed a petition in Patna high court. “As far as
Cong spokesperson Manish Tewari also alleged that the CBI was a ‘ pet performing parrot of this government’ and questioned why similar actions were not initiated against Bihar CM in the Srijan scam
today’s verdict is concerned, Lalu Prasad and his lawyer are fully capable to deal with this,” he told reporters.
“We would like to ask BJP why the Srijan Scam is not being investigated? Because the central charge in Srijan scam is also the same. The central charge is embezzlement from state treasury and the quantum of embezzlement is of a much greater order,” he said.
He said the alleged embezzlement across different treasuries in Bihar took place under Nitish Kumar and finance minister Sushil Modi.
“So if the courts are establishing the principle with regard to the judicial adjudication of alleged offences related to alleged embezzlement of the treasury, why is not the Srijan scam being investigated.