Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has said that her ministry might ask the CBI to investigate the irregularities in recruitment during Lalu Prasad’s tenure.
“If necessary, allegations of irregularities in Railway Recruitment Boards and Railway Recruitment Committees will be referred to an outside agency,” she said. MPs belonging to the JD(U), a rival to Lalu’s RJD had alleged that people had sold their land to Lalu’s relatives in exchange for railway jobs and contracts.
She went out of her way to allay suspicion that she was targeting her predecessor. “The enquiry is not against him, but against corruption in a particular department.” She said irregularities in recruitment have also come in from North Eastern and South Eastern Railways and states like Orissa. “There are reports from the vigilance commission and the high court has also given a verdict,” she said, adding “several MPs have also complained about such irregularities.”
The relationship between the two reached a low during July’s budget presentation where Mamata announced a white paper on railway finances during Lalu’s tenure.
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