PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former railway minister Lalu Prasad appeared before the enforcement directorate (ED) on Monday for questioning in connection with the land-for-jobs scam. The interrogation by a Delhi team of the probe agency lasted for nearly 10 hours.Lalu deposed before the probe agency a day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the grand alliance and formed a new government in the state with the BJP and its allies. Though there was no official briefing by the probe agency, sources said that a questionnaire was prepared for interrogation. The Delhi team started questioning soon after Lalu reached the Bank Road (Gandhi Maidan) office of the ED around 11 am. Lalu was accompanied by his daughter Misa Bharti, also a Rajya Sabha member.Hundreds of supporters of the RJD along with a few leaders had assembled outside the office of the agency in support of Lalu. They alleged that the RJD supremo was being harassed by the probe agency at the behest of BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.The interrogators, including investigating officer of the case, put around 50 questions before Lalu who most of the time either remained silent or answered in the negative. He remained calm during interrogation. Sources said that Lalu was served meals and allowed to take medicines prescribed by the doctors. Lalu had earlier undergone surgery for his kidney transplant in Singapore. He was also allowed to have a break after interrogation, sources in the agency claimed.The investigating agency had summoned Lalu for interrogation at its Patna office when he failed to turn up in New Delhi. The summons were issued later and he asked to depose before it in the Patna office on January 29.Earlier in the day, Misa alleged that her father was sick and was being harassed out of political vendetta. “Whenever summons are issued against our family members, we cooperate with the investigating agency. But our family members are harassed unnecessarily,” she told the media.The RJD MP alleged that since elections are near, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scared and will continue to do such things. Meanwhile, the probe agency has asked Lalu’s younger son and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav to appear before it on January 30.
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