By working to give political momentum to allegations of fodder scam bribery against Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the main Opposition party RJD sees the JD(U) stalwart and NDA’s reluctant prime ministerial candidate in jail in due course like RJD boss Lalu Prasad Yadav had suffered earlier.
On Wednesday, RJD leaders gave ample glimpses into their intent to ensure that Mr Kumar, who has been widely projected as the welcome antithesis to his bête noire Mr Yadav in many ways, also goes to jail in the same `1,000-crore scam that had precipitated the decline of the RJD and the eventual fall in 2005 of its 15-year rule in Bihar.
Behind the newfound enthusiasm seen among RJD leaders in their ongoing protests and statements this week is apparently a strong belief that the charges against Mr Kumar — that he allegedly received `1 crore of the scam booty — have enough judicial merit to end up in a jail term for him. The whole RJD leadership has woken up to efforts at amplifying what many describe as “the other side of the fodder scam”.
“Kumar, now so hugely known as a clean politician, actually received `1 crore of the fodder scam money. Our leader had had to go to jail. Now nothing can prevent Kumar from going to jail,” said RJD legislator Bhai Birendra.
RJD legislators on Wednesday protested in the Assembly and sought Mr Kumar’s resignation on the scam issue for the second time this week, dubbing him “charachor mukhyamantri” (fodder-stealing CM). Ironically, this phrase had so far been used by the NDA to ridicule the RJD chief. “Since the NDA was in power at the Centre at that time, the charges against Mr Kumar were deliberately suppressed,” said senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui.
The time has now arrived for a logical conclusion to this serious charge,” said senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
An affidavit filed recently in a Ranchi special court conducting fodder scam cases has demanded summons to be issued against Mr Kumar, among others, for having allegedly received `1 crore from a scam accused. In August, CBI officer A.K. Jha also testified in the court of special CBI judge R.R. Tripathi in Ranchi that Kumar had received `1 crore.