Land-for-job scam: Rabri Devi reacts as CBI visits her residence in Bihar | WATCH

Officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday morning arrived at the Patna residence of former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, wife of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, for questioning in connection with the land-for-job scam in Bihar. Rabri is accused in the said case with Lalu and 14 others.

Reacting to the visit, Rabri Devi told reporters that this was "nothing and it had been the case "since the beginning."

Visuals from this morning published by ANI showed a CBI team waiting outside Rabri Devi's residence while officials were inside. According to PTI, officials reached for a "further probe" but no search or raid was conducted.

RJD party workers staged a protest over the matter on Monday.

The agency had already filed its chargesheet in this case in October 2022 after which Delhi’s Rose Avenue court issued summons to all accused to appear before the court on March 15.

An agency official clarified to ANI on Monday that Rabri Devi herself had decided today (March 6) as the date of questioning at her residence and that the CBI had not barged in unannounced. The official added that the CBI is likely to question Lalu Prasad Yadav soon since he had been served a notice too.

The alleged scam occurred between 2004 and 2009 when Lalu Yadav was the Union Minister of Railways. Apart from the RJD chief, the chargesheet also includes the name of the then Western Railway General Manager Mahesh Kumar, Rabri Devi, the politician duo's daughter Misa Bharti and 12 others.

Under the "land for job" scam in Bihar, undeserving candidates were allegedly transfered plots of land in exchange for government jobs. The scam involved the fraudulent allotment of around 400 acres of prime government land to people who were not eligible for the same, in return for their appointment in various government jobs. The case has been under investigation by the CBI since 2008.

The CBI chargesheet stated that during the investigation, it was found that the accused in conspiracy with Kumar and CPO, Central Railways, engaged persons as substitutes in lieu of land either in their name or in the name of their close relatives.

The CBI chargesheet said that the candidates were hired without any need for substitutes, and there was no urgent need for their appointment. Normally, substitutes are hired only in cases of urgency. The candidates started their jobs much later after their appointment was approved, and then they were made permanent employees.

It was alleged in the FIR that some persons, although residents of Patna in Bihar, were appointed as substitutes in Group-D posts during the period 2004-2009 in different zones of the railways located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur and in lieu thereof, the individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land in the name of family members of Prasad and a company, AK Infosystems Private Limited, which was subsequently taken over by family members of Prasad.

It was further alleged that about 1,05,292 sq. ft. land situated in Patna was acquired by the family members of Prasad from those persons through five sale deeds and two gift deeds and in most of the sale deeds, payment to the sellers was mentioned to be paid in cash.

The value of the land as per existing circle rate was about Rs 4.39 crore.

The land which was directly purchased by the family members of Prasad from the sellers at a rate lower than the prevalent circle rate. The prevalent market value of the land was much higher than the circle rate.

It was alleged that due procedure and guidelines issued by the railway authority for the appointment of substitutes was not followed and later on, their services had also been regularised.

Offences were registered under Section 120B read with Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 (2) read with Section 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Accordingly, cognizance was taken of the said offences by the court.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday lashed out at the BJP over a the CBI team's examination, alleging the ruling party at the Centre wants to "suppress" the voice of the opposition.

The Congress general secretary also alleged that the opposition leaders who are not ready to bow before the BJP are being "harassed" through the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.

"Today Rabri Devi ji is being harassed. Lalu Prasad ji and his family have been harassed for years because they did not bow down," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

BJP wants to "suppress" the voice of the opposition, she alleged.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also accused the Modi government of targeting the Opposition and called the raids "humiliating."

He added, "This is becoming a trend in states governed by the Opposition, to halt their working. They use ED, CBI and governor to trouble them... Nation can only move forward when everyone works together."

Chandra Shekhar, Bihar's education minister, said the current government was trying to create controversy. He told reporters on Monday, "CBI will take money, plant it and say we got this from raid. Raids are happening at several locations but they haven't found anything."

BJP leaders, on the other hand, asserted that the CBI was "doing its job as an independent agency" in cases against RJD president Lalu Prasad who was "reaping what he had sown".

"Lalu Prasad’s brush with CBI has been long. The fodder scam cases, in which he has been convicted, were lodged much before the BJP came into picture,” said senior BJP leader and former state minister Nitin Nabin.

He pointed out "the fodder scam cases were registered when the Centre was ruled by the United Front, of which he was a part. The complainants included Shivanand Tiwary, now his party's national vice president, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, who heads the JD(U), his current ally".

Jibesh Kumar Mishra, another BJP leader and ex-minister, said, "Lalu Prasad got first convicted in a fodder scam case in 2013, when the Congress-led UPA, of which his party was a part, ruled the Centre".

"The CBI is an independent agency and doing its job. Allegations of political vendetta are baseless. Lalu Prasad and his family are reaping what he has sown (jaisi karni vaisi bharni),” the BJP leader added.