Hyderabad: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday stopped short of criticising the BJP over the Enforcement Directorate raids on relatives of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, including Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. The obscure reply has triggered speculations over the Bihar CM's patch-up with old ally BJP. Kumar, who was asked by the reporters to comment on the fresh raids on the Yadav family said, "...This happened in 2017. Then we (JDU-RJD) went our separate ways...five years went by and when we came together, raids occurred again. What can I say?..."
Kumar's remarks came close on the heels of the CBI summoning his deputy Tejashwi Yadav for questioning on Saturday in connection with the land-for-jobs scam. The case relates to the alleged irregularities in the railway recruitment during Lalu Prasad Yadav's tenure as Railway Minister in 2004-05. Lalu is accused of having recruited youth in the railways in lieu of land transferred to him and his family.
Also read: Tejashwi Yadav not joining CBI probe in Delhi today, seeks time citing 'wife's health'
'Meanwhile, the Bihar Chief Minister's vague reply over the ED and CBI's summons to Lalu and family, his allies in the current Mahagathbandhan have triggered speculations over a patch-up with the ex-ally BJP with which Kumar parted ways last year. A netizen while reacting to Kumar's statement wrote, “very soon Nitish Chacha will break RJD’s alliance and join hands with BJP."
"Nitish Sahab toh Kejriwal ke guru nikley”. “Bihar me ek dum house full circus show is running,” another netizen wrote while referring to the political drama in Bihar. Kumar is not new to making and breaking allies. Before he parted ways with the BJP last year, a similar break-up took place in 2017 when the the JD(U) alliance with RJD broke after CBI raids on Lalu Prasad Yadav over allegations of rigged tenders during his tenure as Railway Minister in the Congress-led Central government.
Tejashwi Yaday, Deputy Chief Minister at the time, too, had resigned after he was named in the CBI's case. After the raids the JD(U) broke off and allied with the Bhartiya Janata Party. The ED on Friday raided the houses of Lalu Prasad Yadav's three daughters and relatives for more than 15 hours in the alleged land for job “scam”. The ED also raided the house of Lalu's close aide Abu Dojana in the case. On Tuesday, the CBI also questioned Lalu Yadav a day after his wife Rabri Devi was also questioned at her residence in the case.
