Nitish's Exit Bends RJD: After Lalu Prasad's 10-Hour Questioning, Tejashwi Yadav Appears Before ED In Land-For-Jobs Case

After his father Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday (30 January) for questioning in the land-for-jobs case.

A day before, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav was questioned for 10 hours in the same case. The case suggests that job-seekers were made to transfer lands at nominal rates to Yadav family members.

The father-son duo were issued ED summons on 19 January. They had skipped previous summons issued by the probe agency but joined the investigation after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with them.

The purported scam dates back to when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government, and it is alleged that between 2004 and 2009, several individuals were appointed to Group "D" roles in various Indian Railways zones, and in exchange, these individuals transferred their land to Prasad's family members and a related company, A K Infosystems Private Limited.

The money laundering case, which was filed under the criminal sections of the PMLA, originated from a complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has previously filed a charge sheet in this case.

The CBI is examining bribery allegations, while the ED is investigating potential money laundering. The RJD has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of utilising government agencies for political targeting.