Lalu Prasad backs his son Tej Pratap, who had been convicted for conspiracy in the fodder scam
Never known for seeking out the press to give sound bites, Lalu Yadav bucked the tradition this morning, as his son Tej Pratap turned 29 years old. His statement to the press, though, was one that he had given before - confidence expressed that Tej Pratap, accused of corruption by the BJP, was not guilty.
"My son is innocent and I guide them in everything," said Mr Yadav, who had been convicted for conspiracy in the fodder scam - a case that involved the embezzlement of Rs 1000 crore from the state exchequer in the mid-1990s. The former Chief Minister has challenged his sentence in the Supreme Court, but cannot hold public office due to the lower court's guilty verdict.
Tej Pratap Yadav is one-third owner of a 2-acre land on the outskirts of Patna, which, the BJP says is the hub of multiple scams. The land, they say, was illegally transferred to Lalu's family as a favour. Then the family leased it to a real estate developer. Soil from the same plot was also to the Patna zoo -- governed by the Forest Department, which in turn reports to Tej Pratap.
The BJP also alleges that Tej Pratap, who also handles the health portfolio, did not disclose his shares in a company which runs an auto showroom and the money borrowed from a bank.
So far, the minister has not reacted to these particular charges. His father had earlier dismissed the allegations, saying at the same time that his sons were right to "do business, because I don't want them to die in poverty".