Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with the land-for-jobs case.
He reached the ED office at around 11 a.m. accompanied by his daughter Misa Bharti and was allowed to leave only at around 9 p.m. after a marathon 9-hour interrogation.
The security officials escorted him to his vehicle amid a massive gathering of supporters outside the ED office.
“Whenever any agency calls our family members for questioning…, we go there, cooperate with them and answer all their queries. Because of his health condition, it is difficult for him (Prasad) to move on his own. Someone has to accompany him whenever he goes somewhere,” Bharti told reporters.
Lalu Yadav appeared before the central agency for questioning a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar severed ties with the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, and aligned with BJP to form a new government in the state.
Lalu Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya criticised the ED's treatment of her father, alleging inhumane behaviour for not allowing any assistant to accompany him.
She took to social media to express her dismay, “Everyone knows about the health condition of my father…he can’t even walk without support. Despite that ED officials did not allow any assistant to enter their office and accompany him. It’s inhuman behaviour by ED officials...shame on you (ED officials) and your boss (top ED officials)," Acharya wrote on X in Hindi.
“If anything happens to my father, no one will be worse than me. If something happens to my father today, Chameleon (aimed at Nitish Kumar) along with CBI and ED will be held responsible. The lion (Lalu) is alone and not weak," she said.
Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav were asked to appear before the ED officials on January 29 and 30 respectively.