After SC ruling against Lalu in fodder scam, Bihar alliance stares at trouble

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Yadav suffered a major setback on Monday after Supreme Court reinstated criminal conspiracy charges against him and others in a multi-crore fodder scam case.

Mr Yadav was barred from the electoral politics after the CBI court in September 2013 had convicted and sentenced him to five years in prison in the fodder scam case involving the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7crore from Chaibasa treasury. He is currently out on bail.

The Monday’s verdict also gave rise to speculation regarding a split within the Grand Secular Alliance, in which Mr Yadav’s RJD is a constituent. Sensing fissures within the ruling coalition, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi challenged Mr Kumar to snap ties with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

He said, “The BJP Central leaders may take decisions if he breaks his alliance with the RJD but he won’t as he will be happier to see a weaker Lalu Yadav and his sons who will listen to him obediently”.

The statement evoked anger within the Grand Secular Alliance and sharp reactions started pouring in against the BJP leader. Speaking on the issue JD (U) spokesperson Niraj Kumar told this newspaper that “such statements are part of politics of the BJP that has been trying to create differences within the Grand Secular Alliance.” He added the BJP always raised questions on the Grand Secular Alliance government in Bihar but never answered when asked about their political alignment with fodder scam convicts like Jagannath Mishra and others during the Assembly polls.

“Our alliance is with the RJD and not with any particular person but they (BJP) should also come out in the open and speak about their tie-up with tainted political leaders,” Niraj Kumar said.

However, Mr Modi later denied making any such statements. Earlier, Sushil Kumar Modi had alleged that Mr Yadav during his tenure as railway minister he had acquired land at a prime locations from RJD leaders in lieu of creamy posts during the UPA regime. On Saturday, the senior BJP leader had demanded action from Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar after an audio tape exposed Lalu Yadav’s close nexus with mafia don Mohammad Shahabuddin.

According to political analysts, the apex court’s directions may also hamper RJD chief Lalu Yadav’s efforts to stitch a larger secular alliance at the national level.

RJD insider Shivanand Tiwary said: “Efforts to bring all like-minded secular parties on one platform will continue and Mr Yadav is very confident to stop the BJP in 2019 if a larger secular alliance at the national level is formed”.