Nitish mocks Lalu for holding rally on Srijan 'scam'

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday mocked Lalu Prasad for holding a rally at Bhagalpur on the Srijan "scam" issue by calling it a "suicidal street play" and said the RJD supremo should approach the judiciary for a court-monitored CBI probe into the matter.

"It was a suicidal street play (atmaghati nukkad-natak) which will cost him (Prasad) heavily," he told reporters while commenting on the public meeting of the RJD chief and his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav at Bhagalpur yesterday.

"Go to the Supreme Court or high court to say that you do not have faith in the CBI and ask them to monitor the central probe agency's inquiry into the Srijan scam," Kumar said on the demand of Prasad and his partymen.

Talking to reporters after his weekly 'Lok Samvad' (interaction with the public) programme, the chief minister said there was no point in getting into a debate with the RJD over the Srijan "scam" when a CBI probe was underway.

"If anyone has any document against anybody related to the scandal, it should be handed over to the CBI," he added.

Prasad and Tejashwi, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, had on Sunday come down heavily on Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi (BJP) and demanded that they spelt out the details of "every penny embezzled" by the Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Ltd, a Bhagalpur-based NGO.

Prasad wanted to know why FIRs were not lodged against Kumar, Modi, Union minister Ashwini Choubey and others in connection with the matter, which, he claimed, was nothing short of a "maha ghotala" (big scam).

The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief has also been making snide remarks against Kumar and Sushil Modi.

"Some persons forget 'maryada' (decency) in politics. I believe in work, instead of wasting time arguing with them," Kumar said in an oblique dig at Prasad.

He also claimed that everyone got to know about the Srijan "scam" after he brought it to the public domain on August 9.

During the hour-long interaction with reporters, the Janata Dal (United) national president answered a barrage of questions on rebel party leader Sharad Yadav calling a national executive meeting in Delhi on September 17.