ரயில்வே வேலைக்கு ஈடாக நிலம்-100 கோடி ரூபாய்க்கு லாலு பிரசாத் யாதவ் ஊழல்-

ரயில்வே வேலைக்கு ஈடாக நிலம்-100 கோடி ரூபாய்க்கு லாலு பிரசாத் யாதவ் ஊழல்-

ஐக்கிய ஜனதாதள முதல்வர் நிதிஷ் குமார் ஆவணங்களை வெளிப்படுத்தினார்.

Lalu, kin got land in exchange for Rly jobs, as gifts: JD(U) to PM
Posted online: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 0157 hrs Print Email
SANTOSH SINGH

PATNA, AUGUST 12: Waving documents to allege that RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, ever since he became Railways Minister in 2004, and his family have acquired property worth Rs 100 crore in Patna and other towns, the JD(U) today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to remove Lalu Prasad from the Cabinet and order a probe.


Related Stories Corruption in projects: World Bank to send team
No space for Third Front, secular forces must unite, says Paswan
All-party team wants both Jammu, Kashmir groups on board for talks
Somnath Temple to carve its future in gold
Ad LinksLalu Yadav

Bhagat Singh

Contract for Deed Contract

Bihar JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, displaying “documents” and photocopies of 20 “sales and will deeds” before the media, alleged that Lalu Prasad, his wife, sons and daughters had acquired plots — with construction in some cases — via three methods: by giving land owners jobs in Railways, awarding them Railway contracts in return or by accepting plots as gifts through “danpatra” by RJD leaders.

While Lalu Prasad was not available for comment, RJD spokesperson Shyam Rajak called the deeds “a publicity stunt by the Opposition before the polls”. “We will study the papers circulated by them to the media and come out with our version,” he said.

Most registries made between 2004 and early 2008 do not show the mode of payment — though sale deeds generally do. “We are giving the Centre 15 days to start an inquiry,” said Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

Documents released by the JD(U) show that among the land “donors” is Union Minister of State Kanti Singh. She “gave” her three-storey house built on a 4,083 sq ft plot at Chitkohra, Gardanibagh, Patna, through a deed of gift on January 6, 2005, to Lalu’s sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi. The proper value was shown as Rs 35 lakh.

The “deed paper” gives an emotional reason as well: “... The donee’s mother (Rabri) looks after the donor (Kanti Singh) all the time and on account of their services rendered to the donor, the donor now out of love and affection has desired the said property...”.

Another “deed” shows Kanti Singh has leased her plot at Saguna Mod, Danapur, to Rabri Devi for 99 years. The big plot (31.5 decimals) is being used as a cowshed. Kanti Singh’s son Rishi Kumar signed the signature of lease on March 10, 2006.

Another Union Minister of State, Raghunath Jha, is shown to have given his house constructed on over 3,400 sq ft of land at Gopalganj to Tej Pratap and Tejaswi on June 18, 2005. The government value of the property was Rs 8.75 lakh.

Both Ministers of State today justified the “donations”. Kanti Singh said she had every right to gift and lease her property to anyone she wanted and Jha called the “gift” a matter of “love and affection”.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh also sought to know how Lalu Prasad’s father-in-law Shiv Prasad Choudhary, who had otherwise declared himself landless, changed his name to Shiv Prasad Yadav and acquired 10 kathas (1 katha is equal to approximately 1,361 sq ft) and nine dhurs (a dhur is half a katha) from Lalbabu and 10 kathas and 12 dhurs from Kalavati Devi at Gopalganj on September 4, 2004, and gifted both plots to daughter Rabri Devi on February 21, 2006.

The JD(U) released another “deed” showing that Lalu’s son-in-law Prabhunath Yadav had gifted his two kathas to Tej Pratap and Tejaswi.

“Do these transactions suggest Lalu had acquired land plots from some potential job beneficiaries and got its ownership indirectly?” asked Singh.

Another set of documents released by the JD(U) showed how people “gifted” land to Lalu and family to get “jobs in Railways”. Kishundev Roy, a Danapur resident, “gave” his 3,375 sq ft of land to Rabri Devi on February 5, 2008, and got several members of his family employed with the Railways in Central Zone, Mumbai. “Let Laluji explain the consideration as the mode of payment is mentioned,” said Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

Similarly,Dharmendra Roy and Ravindra Roy, the JD(U) leader said, gave their 3,375 sq ft plot to Rabri Devi on February 6, 2008 to “get Railway jobs” for family members in Central Zone, Mumbai.

Other persons who donated land for jobs, alleged the JD-U, are Manoj Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Gopi Krishna and Sushila Devi. They allegedly got their plots registered in the name of Tejaswi Yadav on February 25, 2006, to get a job each.

Lalu Prasad’s eldest daughter Misa Bharti, the JD(U) alleged, got a 1.8-acre agriculture land from Kiran Devi, a Bihta resident, for only Rs 3.7 lakh on December 7, 2007. Tej Pratap is said to have “acquired” 60 decimal land in native village Phulwaria on September 8, 2005.

On the third “mode of exchange” of favours, Singh alleged that one of the owners of a Patna-based hotel registered his two-acre land at Danapur in the name of a private company. The day the property was registered, 2,601 shares of the company went to Sarla Gupta, wife of Union Minister of State Premchand Gupta. “Soon after registry, two railway hotels, one each at Ranchi and Puri, went to the hotel owner. Is it a coincidence?” asked Singh.

JD(U) list of Lalu, family acquisitions

The “deeds” released by the party show new land acquisitions by the RJD chief’s family:

• Rabri Devi: 3,375 sq ft at Danapur (5/2/08)

• Rabri Devi: 3,375 sq ft at Danapur (6/2/08)

• Tejaswi Yadav: 2.5 katha at Danapur (25/2/06)

• Misa Bharti: 1.8 acre at Bihta (26/11/07)

• Misa Bharti: 77.5 decimals at Patna (7/12/07)

• Tej Pratap: 60 decimals at Phulwaria (8/9/05)

• Tej Pratap and Tejaswi: House on 2.5 katha land at Gopalganj (18/6/05), ‘gifted’ by Raghunath Jha

• Tej Pratap and Tejaswi: House in Patna (6/1/2005), ‘gifted’ by Kanti Singh

editor@expressindia.com