Naqvi says Lalu wrongly depicting his scams as 'his' struggle for freedom

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is depicting his corruption cases as "his" struggle for freedom.

"This issue is connected with corruption and not with any freedom struggle. Lalu Yadav will not get any advantage by projecting this issue as a freedom struggle. The law is doing its job. If he has any problem with the law, then it is for the court there to answer," Naqvi told ANI.

The Bihar Government has already denied being intimated in advance about the raids conducted Lalu Yadav and his family.

A Bihar Government press release said reports in circulation that said that prior information was given about the raids to senior officials was baseless.

"The information regarding the same was given to the Bihar Director General of Police after the CBI raids had begun, following which necessary arrangements were made," the press release stated.

On Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

The CBI later questioned Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav.

The case was registered on the allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of Hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a Private Company dealing with Hotels in the year 2006.

The investigative agency also conducted searches at 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurugram and other places.

The RJD supremo, however, refuted the allegations against him and called it a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP.

While conducting raids at Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti's premises yesterday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered and seized various incriminating documents, electronic devices including mobile phones.

-ANI