Rabri Devi chairs party meet before Lalu questioning
The family has been facing crisis ever since CBI registered FIR in connection with the railway hotels tender scam case.
Patna: A day before RJD chief Lalu Yadav is to appear before the CBI, party leaders met in Patna to discuss future strategy.
The emergency meeting was held to end growing confusion among party workers after the CBI registered corruption cases against Lalu Yadav and his family, including Tejashwi Yadav, whom workers have been viewing as their next leader.
The meeting was chaired by former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi at her official residence. Senior RJD leaders after the meeting, however, dismissed reports of “confusion and conflict” within the party.
The party leaders said that the meeting was held to discuss Lok Sabha election strategy.
“There is no confusion at any level in the party. We discussed 2019 general elections strategy with our leaders. The party also decided to hold organisational polls. The Opposition is in a hurry to break the party by creating confusion,” senior RJD leader Jagdanand Singh said after the meeting on Wednesday. This is the first time in last several years when Rabri Devi chaired a meeting in the absence of RJD chief Lalu Yadav. Mr Yadav and his younger son Tejashwi Yadav has been camping in New Delhi for the last couple of days. Mr Yadav is set to appear for questioning before the CBI on Thursday.
The family has been facing crisis ever since CBI registered FIR in connection with the railway hotels tender scam case. The FIR registered by the CBI alleges that Lalu Yadav as railway minister between 2004 and 2009 handed over the maintenance of two hotels run by IRCTC in Ranchi and Puri in lieu of prime land of three acres.
RJD chief Lalu Yadav had earlier dubbed cases and CBI raids against his family a political conspiracy by the BJP.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, RJD leader Bhai Birendra Singh told this newspaper that the probe agency doesn’t have proof against Lalu Yadav and “in case CBI initiated any action against the family party will be forced to launch a massive protest.”
The RJD leader further said that “Lalu Yadav is being harassed because he initiated a political movement against the BJP. The RJD meeting was to discuss future strategy and the party is prepared to fight a political battle whenever the election is held”.