Patna: Jubilant Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders and workers went into celebration mode on Friday moments after the party’s president Lalu Prasad Yadav, serving five-year jail term in million-dollar fodder scam, was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Yadav who is currently lodged in Ranchi’s Birsa Munda jail in neighbouring Jharkhand state since September 30 had his bail petitions earlier rejected by the local Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court and then the Jharkhand High Court.
As the news of his bail flashed on the TV news channels, RJD lawmakers who were attending the winter session of the Bihar assembly hurriedly went into raptures, distributing sweets and exchanging greetings in the assembly premises.
One of the party lawmakers Dinesh Kumar Singh even carried a tub full of sweets to the assembly premises and was seen distributing to all, from policemen to the rival BJP members. But a few Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers hesitantly accepted the sweets, finding the political risks involved therein. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too refused sweets offered by the RJD leaders.
The scene was no different at 10, Circular Road, the official residence of Rabri Devi, wife of jailed RJD chief, where she hugged the female party leaders and well wishers, and also greeted them with mouthful of sweets. Rabri said she has even avoided meal out of joy.
“It’s a great day for all of us. I was confident that he would ultimately get the bail,” said Rabri.
According to her, she had a dream early in the morning today, which indicted a very good sign.
“In the dream, I saw Laluji coming near me and waking me up. Soon thereafter, I came to know he has been granted bail,” she added.
Sounding more confident, she said Prasad would bring party to landslide victory in the next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
“What if he can’t contest elections, he will lead the party to massive victory. (Narendra) Modi is no factor in Bihar while (chief minister) Nitish Kumar is pseudo-secular. No one trusts him. He did not quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government even after Godhara riots (Gujarat) and remained with BJP for 17-18 years but now he has suddenly started calling himself as ‘secular’. People are no fool,” she said.
Prasad, it may be mentioned here, has been disqualified from contesting elections under the new law, which also cost his Lok Sabha membership.
She reiterated her husband was a victim of political conspiracy and asserted the taint of conviction in the fodder scam would not affect the party’s performance in the upcoming general elections.
“My party is united and is getting huge support from the masses as is evident from the huge crowd attending our party rallies,” she said, adding the RJD is solidly united.
“Now both Laluji and I will be undertaking intensive tours of the state and hold rallies all over, telling the masses the gross injustice done to us and how he (Lalu Prasad) is being victimised despite no evidence against him,” she said alleging, “My husband was sent to jail for the crime he never committed”.
RJD had suddenly got rudderless after the party chief was sent to jail after being convicted by the designated CBI court in the fodder scam in September. But now that he has got bail, the party hopes to reap rich dividend given the split in the NDA and growing disenchantment among the masses towards the ruling Nitish Kumar government owing to its failure to keep its promises on law and order front and large-scale corruption in government offices.
Although the government has enacted some strident law to tame graft, it’s not proving to be helpful.