'People are watching and they understand': Rabri Devi on CBI searches

The ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar on Wednesday cried foul over raids conducted at a number of premises owned by leaders of the RJD, the largest constituent of the seven-party coalition.

The CBI raids, in connection with a railway land for jobs scam, commenced barely a few hours before the new government was to prove its majority on the floor of the state assembly.

"I do not wish to comment on merits and demerits of the case. But the timing of the raids is a clear indication that the investigating agencies are trying to help the BJP," alleged Upendra Kushwaha, parliamentary board president of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U).

The BJP has been stripped of power on account of the volte-face earlier this month by Kumar, who has now aligned with the RJD, Congress and Left combine.

Former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, whose own residence here was raided by the agency in connection with the case a few months ago, told reporters, "The people are watching and they can understand what is behind these raids."

The case pertains to her husband and RJD president Lalu Prasad's tenure as railway minister. Raids were taking place at the residences of party MLC Sunil Singh, a close aide, besides Rajya Sabha MPs Ashfaq Karim and Faiyaz Ahmed and former MLC Subodh Rai.

Singh screamed before reporters from the balcony of his Rajbanshi Nagar apartment, "It is clearly an intimidatory tactics. Why else is the raid being conducted today? We cannot even see the local police, who normally accompany CBI officials during raids."

Singh is also the Chairman of Bihar State Cooperative Union (BISCOMAUN) and a team of CBI officials was at his office near Gandhi Maidan, about five kilometres away, as well.

CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurav told reporters outside the assembly, "These raids clearly show that the BJP has thrown constitutional propriety to the winds. No raid takes place at any leader of the party which is in power at the Centre as well as in so many states."

BJP leaders, however, saw it as a comeuppance for Kumar, their former ally, who not only turned his back on them but also allied with "corrupt" parties like the RJD and the Congress.

"It is the RJD which is sitting on a heap of wealth and therefore its leaders are facing the heat. Nitish Kumar not only betrayed the mandate given to NDA for ruling Bihar but also tied up with the corrupt," BJP leader and former minister Pramod Kumar said.

"We are not worried about allegations of witch-hunting. Sonia Gandhi had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court. Nothing came of it," he said.

Incidentally, while Singh is the BISCOMAUN chairman, Karim and Ahmed own private medical colleges at Katihar and Madhubani, respectively.