New Delhi, Oct 26 (NationPress) In a revealing account, former CBI Joint Director Upendra Nath Biswas described how the Congress party exerted pressure within the CBI to avoid the arrest of Lalu Prasad Yadav in the notorious fodder scam. Biswas recounted on Sunday that there were unsuccessful attempts by the Congress to engage in behind-the-scenes political maneuvering to protect its prominent ally and RJD leader from being apprehended in the Rs 950 crore scandal.

“The Congress pressured then Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda to halt my efforts to arrest Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the scam. When that did not succeed, the Congress withdrew its support from his government,” stated Biswas, 84, who ventured into politics post-retirement and served as a Minister in the West Bengal government.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, the retired IPS officer criticized the unwavering support the Congress provided to Lalu Prasad Yadav during the contentious investigation in the mid-1990s.

“Lalu Prasad Yadav was actively pressuring the Central government to evade arrest in the scam. He approached his mentor and then Congress president Sitaram Kesri, requesting to retract support from the Central government. Kesri complied,” remarked Biswas, crediting the vigilant oversight by the courts as a key factor in the CBI's success in securing convictions in 75 cases linked to the scandal.

Biswas noted that it was Congress President Kesari who advised Lalu Prasad Yadav to resign and allow Rabri Devi to assume the role of Chief Minister of Bihar.

Revealing intricate details of the frantic activities in Delhi's power corridors while the CBI was filing cases related to the fodder scam, the former investigator stated, “In his attempt to escape arrest, Lalu Prasad Yadav even sought intervention from the next Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, but PM Gujral responded with ‘I am sorry.’”

The retired CBI official recalled the various efforts made by the then Bihar Chief Minister to avoid arrest.

“The Supreme Court issued orders for Lalu Prasad Yadav's arrest. We had complete authority and proceeded to his residence. However, he encircled his house with local police, preventing our entry,” he detailed, recounting the dramatic events of that night.

He also mentioned attempts by CBI officers to seek the Army's assistance to enter the Chief Minister’s residence. “The Army requested a written order. They also attempted to contact the High Court judge who had authorized their help for the arrest, but the Army could not reach the judge,” he explained.

Lalu Prasad Yadav was ultimately arrested with the collaboration of the Bihar Police on July 29-30, 1997, a turning point that negatively impacted his political career.

The fodder scam transpired between 1990-91 and 1995-96, wherein officials from the then Bihar Animal Husbandry Department conspired with unscrupulous suppliers to withdraw and misappropriate hundreds of crores of rupees under the guise of payments to suppliers who submitted fraudulent bills falsely indicating the delivery of feed, fodder, and veterinary medicines.

It was further alleged that the withdrawn funds were ultimately misappropriated. During the investigation, the involvement of bureaucrats and politicians, including the then RJD supremo and Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, was exposed.