A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) argued in the Supreme Court that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s bail on medical grounds in the fodder scam cases should be cancelled as he was seen playing badminton, his son and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Saturday defended his father saying that the former Bihar CM had not played badminton in a proper way but only tried a few shots.
On Friday, additional solicitor general (ASG) S V Raju, appearing for CBI, challenged Lalu’s bail and told the apex court that the former Bihar chief minister was playing badminton after being enlarged on bail. Reports said the ASG also submitted that the Jharkhand high court order granting bail to the RJD chief was ‘ bad in law’ and ‘erroneous’.
“This is a court matter. We will reply in court. But is it necessary that whoever is ill should be put in a hospital? Laluji has to take a lot of precautions and take medicines lifelong. Besides, there is no harm in meeting people or conducting meeting. Laluji had not played badminton in a proper way but only tried a few shots,” Tejashwi told reporters at the RJD state office.
Last month, Tejashwi had. shared a video of Lalu playing badminton on Instagram, with a caption that said, “Have not learned to be scared, have not learned to bow…Have fought, will fight, will not be scared of prison, and will win the end.”
The 75-year-old former Union railway minister had undergone a kidney transplantation in Singapore last year
Asked about the allotment of a government house adjacent to the RJD state office at Beer Chand Patel Marg for extension of the party office, Tejashwi said it was long due.
“Other big political parties have bigger state party offices. Ours is very small and the allotment of a government house had been demanded for a long time. Even then, our party will have a much small space than offices of other parties,” he said.
State party president Jagdanand Singh said the allotment of the government house for extending the party office would help in housing rooms for various cells of the party and also to conduct various political activities.
“The RJD is the single largest party in the state assembly and after the formation of the opposition bloc INDIA, the activities have increased. The party needs bigger space to carry its various activities,” he said.
The RJD is a key constituent in the six-party Grand Alliance (GA) government in Bihar.
The deputy CM also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for allegedly failing in the promise of providing 2 crore jobs to youths each year, while insisting the state government had taken big strides in providing jobs to youths.
“Our country has already fallen behind in growth than Bangladesh and very soon might even lag behind Nepal,” Yadav said, even as he stressed that Bihar’s growth had seen quantum jump especially in terms of infrastructure growth and the state gross domestic product (SGDP) was also high.
Meanwhile, the state BJP leaders have taken potshots at the RJD over the allotment of a government house for extension of the RJD state office. “The allotment of a government house for extension of RJD office only reflects how the party has an obsession for land,” said Arvind Singh, state BJP spokesperson.
RJD’s state spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwary said, “The BJP leaders have no issues (to speak about) and have become totally frustrated, a reason why it keeps making unwarranted statements.”
