Lalu had defied three summons in the past but was forced to show up after being denied more time. The CBI has also summoned his son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the same case on Friday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday questioned Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad for eight hours in connection with alleged irregularities in giving the maintenance contract for two IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) hotels to a private firm.
Lalu had defied three summons in the past but was forced to show up after being denied more time. The CBI has also summoned his son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the same case on Friday.
According to sources, the CBI asked "specific" questions from the former CM, who came in a green kurta, escorted by his daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti. "At lunch time, the investigating agency organised a special, low spice meal of jeera rice, aloo chokha (boiled potato delicacy) and arhar dal for the 69-year-old, careful about his health needs," said the sources.
Lalu entered the CBI headquarters here at 11 in the morning. After questioning, Yadav told reporters that the case is a political vendetta against his family. "I have turned around loss-making Railways to a record Rs 7000-crore profit. It was a case study for Harvard… and now they are accusing me of corruption. This is a political conspiracy against me and my family members," Yadav said.
The Bihar stalwart and RJD supremo also praised the investigating agency, saying they were cordial with him during questioning. "They are doing what the Centre is asking them to do," Yadav said.
According to CBI, the contracts were given when Lalu was the railway minister. According to the CBI FIR, when Lalu was the Union minister, the IRCTC — a subsidiary of the Indian Railways — handed over the maintenance of its two hotels in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Puri (Odisha) to Sujata Hotel, a company owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, in return for a prime plot of three acres in Patna through a benami company.
A case was registered naming Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi, a former Bihar chief minister, son Tejashwi and Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union minister, as accused in the case.
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