Lalu Prasad Yadav Facing Harassment For Not 'Bowing' Before BJP, Alleges Priyanka Gandhi

Lalu Prasad Yadav was on Tuesday convicted in a case involving fraudulent withdrawal from Doranda treasury by a CBI Special Court in Ranchi.

New Delhi: Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday extended her support to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav after he was convicted of fraudulent withdrawal from Doranda treasury by a CBI Special Court.

She alleged that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief was facing "harassment" because he did not "bend before" the BJP. The Congress leader expressed hope that the former Bihar chief minister will eventually get justice. 

"One of the key aspects of the BJP brand of politics is that those who don't bow (before the party) have to face harassment. Lalu Prasad Yadav is being attacked because of his uncompromising ways in politics. I'm hopeful that he will get justice," Priyanka Gandhi tweeted.

A CBI Special Court in Ranchi convicted Lalu Prasad Yadav in a case involving fraudulent withdrawal from Doranda treasury on Tuesday.

In April last year, the Jharkhand High Court had granted bail to the RJD chief in the case of fraudulent withdrawal from Dumka Treasury, one of the cases related to the fodder scam for which he was convicted. He had previously been granted bail in the Chaibasa Treasury Scam case in October 2020, and in the Deoghar Treasury Scam case in February 2020.

The case pertains to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.5 crore from the Dumka treasury by Animal Husbandry Department officials between 1991 and 1996 when Lalu Prasad Yadav served as Bihar's Chief Minister.

After the CBI Special Court verdict on Tuesday, former Bihar deputy chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi expressed happiness over Lalu Prasad Yadav's conviction while maintaining that the latter is no longer relevant in state politics.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Sushil Modi said, "We are the ones who brought this matter to light. We approached Patna High Court, demanding a CBI inquiry. I am happy that those who looted Bihar are being punished. Lalu Yadav is no longer relevant in the politics of Bihar."

According to defence lawyer Sanjay Kumar, the hearing on pronouncement of quantum of punishment for Lalu Prasad Yadav will take place in the CBI Special Court in Ranchi on February 21 (Monday), ANI reported.

(With Agency Inputs)