Lalu Prasad Appears Before ED in Land-for-Jobs Scam Probe

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Patna on Wednesday, responding to a summons in the ongoing land-for-jobs scam investigation. The 76-year-old former Bihar Chief Minister, visibly frail after a kidney transplant, arrived at the ED’s Bank Road office amid tight security and a throng of RJD supporters chanting slogans in his support. The agency is probing allegations of money laundering tied to railway job appointments during Prasad’s tenure as Railway Minister (2004-2009) under the UPA-I government.

The case alleges that Prasad and his family received land parcels at undervalued rates in exchange for Group-D railway posts, facilitated through shell companies like A K Infosystems. On Tuesday, his wife, Rabri Devi, and elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav—both co-accused—faced nearly four hours of questioning. Prasad’s younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, also implicated, told reporters, “The more we are harassed, the stronger we become. This is politically motivated—had I not been in politics, I wouldn’t be targeted.” He linked the scrutiny to Bihar’s shifting political landscape post-Delhi elections.

The ED’s probe, building on a CBI chargesheet from 2022, has summoned multiple family members, including daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav. In 2024, the agency attached properties worth Rs 6.02 crore and filed a supplementary chargesheet, escalating the case. RJD leaders decry it as a BJP-orchestrated vendetta, while the ED claims sufficient evidence of “proceeds of crime.”

Prasad’s appearance follows a Delhi court’s October 2024 bail grant to him and his sons, with the next hearing set for later this month. As Bihar’s political cauldron simmers, the land-for-jobs saga continues to spotlight the intersection of power, privilege, and probe.