Congress urges Centre to release Lalu Prasad Yadav from jail and 'save his life'

The Congress party in Bihar has made a fervent appeal to the Centre urging Narendra Modi government to help in releasing Lalu Prasad from jail, “if it’s legally permissible so that the life of the ailing RJD chief could be saved.”

The appeal was made by the Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha here on Monday, two days after Lalu was airlifted from Ranchi hospital to AIIMS, New Delhi following a deterioration in his health in the Jharkhand Capital.

“All the political leaders, cutting across party lines, have been praying for Lalu’s speedy recovery.....If there is some rule and it is legally permissible, then Lalu should be immediately released from incarceration so that his life could be saved,” said Jha, who was a Cabinet Minister in the previous Mahagatbandhan Government headed by Nitish Kumar in 2015-17.

Notably, Lalu has been serving jail sentence since December 2017, following his conviction in the multi-crore fodder scam.

Meanwhile, Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya took to social media platform and tweeted that she had written a letter ‘Azadi Patra’ (freedom letter) to the President Ram Nath Kovind seeking relief for Lalu. She also appealed to all the supporters of ‘Lalu – the voice of the poor’ to join the campaign in seeking relief for Lalu.

Lalu, who was incarcerated in Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi after the CBI court convicted him in multiple cases of fodder scam, was shifted to the prestigious Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi after he complained of multiple health problems.

Two days ago, on Saturday evening, Lalu was airlifted to AIIMS, New Delhi after a team of doctors, following the worsening of his health condition, suggested that the RJD chief be shifted from Ranchi to AIIMS for proper care of his infected lungs and kidney.