"It's Routine Now": Tejashwi Yadav On Fresh Summons In Land-For-Job Case

A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Yadav and him in connection with the land-for-job scam, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav hit out at the Centre on Thursday, stating that it has become "routine" now.

"I have been going always; it's a routine. I went earlier as well. From 2017 to 2023, I have been going regularly whenever ED, Income Tax or CBI called me. What would these agencies do? They are also pressurised," Mr Yadav told reporters.

Opposition leaders have accused Centre of using central investigating agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to suppress dissent. Opposition parties claim that 95% of all political leaders investigated by the ED and CBI were from opposition parties.

"It has become a routine now...I have said that earlier as well that once the elections conclude in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, these agencies will work in Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi," he added.

The ED on Wednesday summoned Lalu Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs case. While Lalu Yadav has been summoned for the first time by the agency, his son appeared before the ED in April this year.

Searches were earlier conducted at multiple places, including Delhi and Bihar.

Recently, the CBI filed a chargesheet in the alleged land-for-jobs scam against Lalu Yadav, a former former railway minister, Tejashwi Yadav and others. The case was registered on May 18, 2022.

Lalu Yadav, the railway minister during 2004-2009, had allegedly obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of the transfer of property in the name of his family members, etc. in lieu of the appointment of substitutes in Group "D" posts in different railway zones.

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