ED charge-sheet against RJD leaders vendetta politics, alleges party MP Manoj Jha

The case was closed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but it was reopened to target the RJD, Jha alleged

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate's charge-sheet in the railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case against RJD leaders is 'vendetta politics', party MP Manoj Jha said on Tuesday as he accused the BJP of using probe agencies against opposition parties.

The case was closed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but it was reopened to target the RJD, he alleged at a press conference here.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed its first charge-sheet in the case, naming RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her MP daughter Misa Bharti among others.

Yadav's another daughter Hema Yadav (40), an alleged 'close associate' of the Yadav family Amit Katyal (49), railway employee and alleged beneficiary Hridayanand Chaudhary, two firms A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd and A B Exports Pvt Ltd, through their common director Shariqul Bari, have also been named in the charge-sheet.

Targeting the BJP, Jha said agencies are being used against all opposition parties. "In states where the BJP is weak, agencies are working on strengthening it. This is politics of harassment and torture," he said.

The BJP is using agencies against parties it is unable to fight politically, the RJD leader alleged.

On the ED charge-sheet, Jha said, "This is the biggest example of vendetta politics." "The case was registered in 2008, 16 years ago. Did the railway consider it a scam? No. The CBI closed the case in 2021 on the grounds that no case had been made out of the allegation," he said.

"This (the case) has been done at the behest of two people in power. They are targeting the women of the (Yadav) family... But no regime is forever. I want to tell officials of agencies as well, you have destroyed the characters of your institutions," Jha said.

In the case, the complaint arraying a total of seven accused has been filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering act (PMLa) court in Delhi and the court has listed the matter to be heard on January 16, sources said.

Katyal was arrested in the case by the ED in November last year while Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav were summoned by the agency but they have not deposed before it till now.