Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's MP daughter Misa Bharti appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi on Saturday for questioning in the railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case, officials said.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav deposed before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning in the same case. “We have always cooperated with the agencies but the situation in the country is that it has become very difficult. We have now decided to fight against this and we will win,” Tejashwi Yadav said.
The CBI had given an assurance to the Delhi High Court last week that it would not arrest Yadav this month. According to the RJD leader's counsel, Maninder Singh, Yadav had conveyed to the federal agency that he would require some time to appear before its sleuths as the ongoing Bihar Assembly session is scheduled to conclude on April 5.
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Both the central agencies had recently initiated action in the case, with the CBI questioning Lalu Prasad and his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and the ED carrying out raids against the RJD chief's family. The Enforcement Directorate, after the searches, said it seized "unaccounted cash" of Rs 1 crore and detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore.
It said the investigation was underway to unearth more investments made on behalf of Prasad's family and their associates in various sectors, including real estate, at various places. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government at the Centre.
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It was alleged that during the period 2004-09, various persons were appointed to Group D positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in lieu, the persons concerned transferred their land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then minister of railways, and A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd, a beneficiary company in this case.
(With inputs from PTI)
