Fodder scam: Lalu's political career hangs in balance

When a Jharkhand court delivers its verdict later today on the multi-crore ‘fodder’ scam of 1996, it will be judgment day not only for former Bihar chief minister and president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Lalu Prasad Yadav, but also for his party. Following Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s outburst, there is every indication that the UPA will discard its ordinance aiming to allow convicted politicians to continue in office and continue to contest elections. This means Lalu, his stature already on the wane in Bihar with only three party MPs and a less than inspiring showing in the last Assembly polls as well, could find his days in Parliament numbered, for now at least, if convicted. [caption id=“attachment_1115385” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lalu Prasad Yadav is accused of having engineered the scam. AFP[/caption] On Sunday, Lalu was putting on his bravest face, but offered none of his usual witticisms. “I have come here for the judgment of the honourable lower court. I have nothing to say today,” was all he would say to CNN-IBN in Jharkhand. All through the previous week too, he remained uncharacteristically silent following the tizzy Congress ministers and spokespersons went into after Rahul Gandhi made it apparent that he believed the UPA should not go out of its way to bail him out. In the past, the UPA has pulled out all stops to save the RJD chief, once even dissolving the Bihar Assembly in 2005 to protect his government. But much water has passed under the bridge since. The more powerful ally for Congress to sidle up to in Bihar would be the JD (U) and Nitish Kumar, once the NDA’s biggest ally and now playing his cards close to his chest. Lalu may stage a surprise return in Bihar at some point, but right now his bargaining chips are down. To nobody’s surprise, Nitish welcomed Rahul Gandhi’s sudden statements opposing the ordinance. Nitish is reported to have said, “What Rahul Gandhi said is right. I have always been of the view that nobody should get a back-door entry. The subject matter of the ordinance should’ve been debated in Parliament.” There is no clear middle-rung leadership in the RJD, nor a natural second-in-command. Lalu’s younger son Tejasvi is seen as his political heir, but he is considered too young for such a responsibility. The party’s MPs, not seen around Lalu in Ranchi on Sunday, have not said very much to inspire the party’s confidence, prompting leaders to reckon that the old combination of Rabri Devi and a behind-the-scenes Lalu might be their best, if still weak, bet with elections due in 2014. The fodder scam, technically known as the animal husbandry department scam of Bihar, revolves around a series of fraudulent transactions in the department, totaling about Rs 950 crore. If convicted, Lalu could face a jail term, the maximum of which is seven years. The case scheduled for a verdict today involves fraudulent withdrawals from the Chaibasa district treasury. The accused include Lalu, former chief minister Jagannath Mishra, ministers from the department, two IAS officials and others. Around 54 of the 61 cases were transferred to Jharkhand, after it was created as a separate state from Bihar in November 2000. Different CBI courts have passed judgments in more than 43 cases. Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra are accused in five cases. There were a total of 56 accused in the case. But during the trial, seven accused died, two turned approvers, one admitted to the crime and one was discharged.