New corruption charge emerges against Lalu: Trinamool MP endorses BJP demand
02 August, New Delhi
Yet another corruption allegation came up Wednesday against RJD chief and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad with BJP and Trinamool Congress Members demanding that the ongoing probe and legal case into the “iron ore export” scam should be expedited.
The issue was raised in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour by BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey and was soon supported by Trinamool member Dinesh Trivedi, also a former Railway Minister.
Dubey said between 2009 and 2015, the alleged corruption with the involvement of ‘iron ore mafia’ had figured after CAG report had repeatedly pointed out in 2009 and 2010 at the “defalcation” due to varying freight charge imposed on domestic transport of iron ore and on export.
Without taking Lalu Prasad’s name, the BJP Member from Godda in Jharkhand, said “Most of the iron ore used to be transported from Jharkhand to Kolkata port at a very low domestic transport charge and subsequently these used to be exported”.
“The CAG had repeatedly cautioned against such duel freight policy and in the ultimate in 2015 it said there was a loss of estimated Rs 30,000 crore,” he said and demanded that this case must be probed.
Dubey also alleged that the then Railway Minister (Lalu Prasad) did all that in tandem with theCongress. He also said nothing moved in the case when Congress leaders took over as railway minister.
Curiously, despite fierce political differences between BJP and Trinamool in recent months, Mr Dubey saideven Mamata Banerjee later had become Railway Minister but nothing much moved after that. “Mein Mamataji ko bahut hi imandar manta hoon (I consider Mamata Banerjee very honest),” he said.
“I also know that Dinesh Trivedi wanted a probe….but later he was removed (as Railway Minister),” the BJP Member said.However, Trivedi, who took over as Railway Minister in 2011 after Mamata Banerjee shifted as West Bengal Chief Minister, said, he had ordered a CBI probe into the matter.
“The matter is now in court….but I want to know why the government is going slow on this,” he remarked.Mr Trivedi demanded that: “This probe must go to its logical end and those corrupt people should be taken to task”