Patna: Union Minister Giriraj Singh has been booked by the Danapaur police in Patna along with 31 others, for allegedly conspiring to grab a prime piece of land illegally. The minister has been charged with forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The issue has now turned into a fierce political battle as opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has come to questioning the integrity of the Nitish Kumar government and demanded that Giriraj Singh be dropped from the Union Council of Ministers.
Last year, former Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR), Ramnarayan Prasad moved the district court designated to hear cases related to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes against Giriraj and others. The court later directed the concerned police station to book all 32 people, including the Union minister as the 25th accused in the list.
The applicant alleged that plot number 495 in Ashopur Mauja — measuring two acres and 56 decimal — was gifted to him by his maternal uncle, which the accused transferred in the name of some others using forged papers.
The case has now provided fodder to the RJD, whose supreme leader Lalu Prasad Yadav is himself embroiled in several cases of amassing benami property. Not just Lalu, the list of RJD leaders caught in the same loop also includes his sons former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and former Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap, daughter Misa Bharti and wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi.
Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav who is readying himself for the next leg of RJD’s state-wide ‘yatra’ against CM Nitish Kumar — attacked BJP leaders over the allegations against Giriraj Singh. His barbs were especially against Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, who levied several corruption charges against Lalu’s family.
Tejashwi asked, “Now a central minister has been booked for land grabbing. Why are the BJP leaders not speaking now? Where is Chief Minister Nitish Kumar? Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately dismiss Giriraj Singh from the Council of Ministers.”
RJD Vice-President Shivanand Tiwary went a step further and referred to Giriraj’s earlier Pakistan jibe and said, “Now it is his turn to go to Pakistan as a case has been filed against him in Bihar.”
However, Giriraj immediately shot back and tweeted, “I came to know about the case from Tejashwi’s tweet. Seems he is the architect of this but I will not speak about the FIR without getting full facts. However I assure full support to judiciary. Tejashwi should focus on saving his party after father’s conviction.”
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