Patna: Officials of the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) are questioning former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi at her residence in Patna in connection with an alleged land-for-jobs scam.
CBI sources have said that they are just recording her statement and that this is not a raid or search. The sources said that they had taken prior appointment of Ms Devi.
The questioning comes a day after eight Opposition parties shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging a misuse of central agencies for the BJP’s political motives. Among the signatories was Ms Devi’s son and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. The letter mentioned former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav among opposition leaders targeted by central agencies. It said the moves of central agencies “had often sparked suspicion that they were working as extended wings of the ruling dispensation”.
The case relates to alleged appointments made in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold to Prasad’s family when he was the minister of railways between 2004 and 2009.
In October 2022, the central agency had filed a chargesheet against Rabri Devi, Lalu Prasad and others in connection with the case. Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti and a former general manager of the Railways were also named as accused in the chargesheet filed before a special CBI court.
In July 2022, the CBI arrested Bhola Yadav, who used to be the officer on special duty (OSD) to Lalu Prasad when he was the railway minister, in the case.
