Mr Yadav was earlier called for questioning on March 4, but he had not appeared before the CBI.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, summoned by the CBI to appear for questioning in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs scam on Saturday, has written to the probe agency to seek deferment, citing his wife's health. Mr Yadav's wife is reportedly pregnant.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dismissed the probe agency's case as a non-issue, claiming it has only happened because the RJD has joined hands with the JD(U). "Action is being taken suddenly after five years. Why didn't they pursue the case then?" he told reporters.
JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh has also slammed the move, calling it an 'undeclared emergency'. He said the agencies have investigated twice and found no evidence, but after August 9, 2022, they have started receiving evidence through some 'divine power'.
"Even if evidence is not found, pet parrots will do anything to show evidence. The horn of the cow is added to the buffalo, and the horn of the buffalo is added to the cow. The newspaper says - 'The raid has been done due to AK Infosystem'... which has nothing to do with the jobs-for-land case. But well, pet parrots can do whatever they want when instructed by their owner, which is an unannounced emergency. This kind of ruthless behaviour with pregnant women and small children has happened for the first time in the country, the country will remember it. No matter how much you suppress, the country will be BJP free in 2024," Mr Singh tweeted in Hindi.
Tejashwi Yadav was earlier called for questioning on March 4, but he had not appeared before the CBI, following which a fresh date was given for Saturday, officials said.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader was asked to appear for questioning on Saturday forenoon, but he is yet to arrive at the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The federal agency recently questioned RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi in Delhi and Patna respectively.
The case pertains to people allegedly given employment in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold at cheap rates to the Yadav family and its associates, the officials said. The alleged scam happened between 2004 and 2009, when Tejashwi Yadav was 14 to 19 years old.