HVK Archives: Laloo says he has no faith in CBI sleuth - will not quit
Laloo says he has no faith in CBI sleuth - will not quit - The Times of India
K K Singh
()
9 January 1997
Title : Laloo says he has no faith in CBI sleuth - will not quit
Author : K K Singh
Publication : The Times of India
Date : January 9, 1997
Following indications that he is certain to face a chargesheet for
involvement in the Rs 950 crore fodder scam, Bihar chief minister Laloo
Prasad Yadav on Wednesday lashed out at the CBI's ace investigator
working on the case.
A jittery but defiant Mr Yadav told newsmen he no longer had faith in
the abilities of the Central Bureau of Investigation's joint director
(east),
U.N. Biswas to conduct a "fair" investigation into Bihar's worst
financial scandal. He ruled out his resignation in the event of his
being chargesheeted.
Hitting out at Mr Biswas, Mr Yadav, who is also the national Janata Dal
president, saw a "remarkable similarity" in the CBI officer's
declaration on Tuesday to a statement made last month by the opposition
leader in the Bihar legislative assembly, Sushil Kumar Modi (BJP). Mr
Modi had said in public meetings in December that Mr Yadav would be
chargesheeted by the CBI by January 15.
Mr Biswas on Tuesday was quoted as saying that charges would be framed
against senior politicians (presumably including Mr Yadav who had been
interrogated for six hours only the previous day) by the month-end. Mr
Yadav saw in the two statements a political conspiracy, and accused the
CBI joint director of launching a "political tirade" against him.
Stung by newspaper reports that the CBI could be framing a chargesheet
against him by the month-end, he hit out at Mr Biswas and accused him of
investigating the fodder scam with a "prejudiced" mind. Mr Biswas, he
said, was not merely maligning him "but also the people, of Bihar"
Taking strong objection to the statements reportedly made by Mr Biswas,
the chief minister wondered how the CBI officer could play the
tape-recorded cassette of his interrogation to a select group of
journalists. He pointed out that the CBI was expected to furnish
progress reports to the Patna high court In sealed covers. "But Mr
Biswas has been selectively leaking out information with the sole
purpose of making me the laughing stock before Bihar's people," he
added.
The verbally aggressive Mr Yadav further said the CBI officer had
committed contempt of court by playing the tape and had also "violated
the code of secrecy."
The chief minister refused to comment on reports that he had held his
bureaucrats responsible for the fodder scam during his interrogation.
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