Lalu's disqualification from Lok Sabha a 'conspiracy', says Rabri Devi

Hours after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after being convicted in the fodder scam case, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Tuesday said that this is a conspiracy against her husband who has been framed in this case without any substantial evidence.

“This is a conspiracy against Laluji. The entire world is watching. There is no evidence against him, and this is clearly bad politics. I have full faith in the judiciary, and Laluji will get bail soon,” she said.

Rabri said that the RJD is moving forward even in the absence of Lalu.

“He (Lalu Yadav) is the hero of our party; he is a hero for the people of Bihar. Our party is very strong. We are moving forward with full force and confidence,” she added.

Lalu has been disqualified from the Lok Sabha after being convicted in the multi-crore fodder scam case. He has been banned from contesting elections for six years.

Janata Dal (United) MP Jagdish Sharma, who also has been convicted in this case, has also been disqualified.

A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Ranchi had earlier on September 30 convicted Yadav and others in a case of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs. 37.70 crore from Chaibasa treasury in the then undivided Bihar during the RJD regime in the 1990s.

The fodder scam also known as ‘Chara Ghotala’ involved the siphoning of funds from the Bihar Government treasury. The alleged theft spanned over several years, and many Bihar state government administrative and elected officials across multiple administrations were allegedly engaged in it.

The fodder scam was unearthed in Bihar in 1996 when Lalu Prasad was the Chief Minister of the state.