New Delhi/Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and its led INDIA Bloc, facing a major setback from Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court today as they prepare for the Bihar Assembly elections. The court on Monday framed charges against RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav, among other accused in the IRCTC hotel allotment corruption case. This decision means that all of them will now be formally tried.
The court issued this order finding the prima facie evidence presented by the CBI sufficient. Lalu Yadav has been charged under sections of criminal conspiracy cheating and the Prevention of Corruption Act while Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav are primarily charged with criminal conspiracy and cheating (Sections 120B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code). All the accused present in court pleaded not guilty and vowed to face trial.
This case dates back to between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Railway Minister in the UPA-I government. The CBI alleges that Lalu manipulated the tender process to award the maintenance contract for two railway hotels (Ranchi and Puri) to a private firm Sujata Hotels and in return received valuable land at a prime location in Patna as a bribe.
All-Round Impact on Bihar Politics
The timing of this court proceeding is crucial for Bihar’s electoral politics, with several serious implications:
- Major blow to RJD: The party’s top leadership being embroiled in such legal proceedings in the midst of the election campaign is a major setback. Tejashwi Yadav who had previously focused his campaign on employment and development issues will now have to aggressively defend the corruption allegations.
- NDA gains a new weapon: The ruling NDA has found a powerful issue to attack the opposition. The BJP and JDU will now try their best to make corruption the main election debate by portraying the RJD’s rule as “jungle raj.”
- Seat-sharing crisis in the India Bloc: Crucial seat-sharing talks within the opposition India Bloc in Bihar have stalled due to Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav’s presence in Delhi for the court proceedings. While the Congress and other allies are exerting pressure over seat allocation the RJD leadership’s absence has increased uncertainty and unease within the alliance.
While the NDA has sent a message of unity by finalizing its seat-sharing the opposition alliance appears to be caught in a double whammy of legal and political challenges. This development has made the Bihar elections even more complex and unpredictable.
Also Read: NDA’s seat-sharing finalized in Bihar: BJP-JDU to contest equal seats, Chirag Paswan to get 29
