Patna, Jan 29 (FN Bureau) Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday interrogated RJD chief Lalu Prasad for more than nine hours on land for a job scam in railways.Prasad, who had arrived at the Patna-based office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at around 11 AM, was interrogated by senior officials in connection with the “land for a job” scam.in railways during his tenure as Railway Minister. Misa Bharti, daughter of Lalu Prasad, had also accompanied him, but she was not allowed to enter the campus of the ED office. She was, however, allowed later to enter the campus only to hand over medicines and drinking water to staff to be given to Lalu.Lalu looked calm after he emerged from the ED office after a marathon grilling of more than nine and a half hours. He did not talk to media people waiting outside the ED office.
It was not immediately known what ED had asked Lalu regarding his role as Railway Minister in the land for the job scam in railways. Sources said that Lalu parried some questions asked by theofficials. As the news spread about the interrogation of Lalu, a large number of RJD workers gathered near the ED office. They voiced strong protests against the interrogation of Lalu, saying it was an attempt to harass and torture him. Apart from Misa Bharti, senior leaders, former ministers, and RJD legislators camped in front of the ED office during the entire period of Lalu’s interrogation. Bharti told media persons outside the ED office that the interrogation of his father reflected the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was feeling shaky and apprehensive of his party’s defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Not only my family members but all opposition leaders were being targeted by the ED, CBI, and other central agencies,” Bharti said, adding that people were looking at the treatment meted out to opposition leaders by the BJP government. All her family members were cooperating with the investigation of the cases by the central agencies, she stressed.The Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, said that ED was doing its job. There was no political vendetta.Behind the interrogation of Lalu, he clarified and added that if anything had been done wrong by him, ED would interrogate him to find the truth and take lawful action.