Rabri Devi: My son and I will run RJD like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul run Congress

Patna: Rabri Devi has done it before. So when Lalu Prasad was sent to jail in a fodder scam case yesterday, his wife said she and her son would run his party the Rashtriya Janata Dal much like "Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi."

"As Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are guiding Congress, which their ancestors had created so too we will provide strength to the RJD to keep it strong," pledged the 54-year-old Rabri Devi, a former Chief Minister of Bihar, after the CBI court at Ranchi delivered its verdict. (Lalu Prasad found guilty of corruption, jailed)

Mr Prasad, 66, faces a jail term of at least four years after being convicted on corruption charges and will be disqualified from the Lok Sabha. More significantly for his party, he will not be able to contest next year's national election, and even the one after that.

RJD leaders indicated that Rabri was the natural choice to lead the party in his absence. "Rabri Devi is our leader. She is still there to guide us," party secretary General Ramkripal Yadav said.

54-year-old Rabri Devi has two sons -- Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejasvi Yadav. Tejasvi, 24, is seen as Lalu's political heir; he accompanied his father to the Ranchi court yesterday. "We will fight the fodder scam verdict electorally," he said, indicating that he was ready to step in.

Many however say it is too early for any of the younger Yadavs to take on a bigger role, though Lalu had presented his sons as the future face of the party at a mega rally in May this year, which was billed as his comeback show of strength.

While Tej Pratap runs an automobile business in Aurangabad, Tejasvi is a former cricketer who was once also part of the Delhi Daredevils IPL team.

Rabri Devi was a reluctant entrant into politics in 1997 when she became the chief minister of the state, chosen by Mr Prasad to replace him when he had to resign after he was charged in fodder scam. She served as chief minister again from 1999 for about a year and then again from 2000-2005.

Fodder scam: Lalu convicted, disqualified as MP Lalu Prasad convicted in fodder scam, jailed

Ranchi: A special CBI court in Ranchi has convicted RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with 44 others, in the Rs. 37.70 crore fodder scam case. Lalu has also been disqualified as a Lok Sabha member.

The quantum of punishment to Lalu, and the other 44 convicts, will be decided on October 3. Lalu is likely to face three to seven years in jail.

The court has found Lalu Yadav guilty in just one of the cases against him – that of criminal conspiracy, corruption and cheating. Judgement on the other five cases is awaited.

The verdict is crucial for Lalu Prasad and his future as a political leader since the central government ordinance that would have shielded tainted and convicted parliamentarians and legislators from disqualification has been put under scanner and is likely to be withdrawn.

There were a total of 56 accused in the case. But during the trial, seven accused died, two turned approver, one admitted to the crime and one was discharged.

Judge P.K. Singh had fixed July 15 as the date of verdict, and asked the remaining 45 accused to be present in the court.

Lalu Prasad moved the Jharkhand High Court and later the Supreme Court, seeking change of the judge in the case. Both the courts dismissed his petition, and directed him to complete argument in the case before the CBI court.

Lalu Prasad quit the chief minister's post in 1997 when his name figured in the CBI investigations in the scam, which surfaced in 1996.

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.

Yadav moved the Jharkhand High Court and later the Supreme Court, seeking change of the judge in the case. Both the courts dismissed his petition, and directed him to complete argument in the case before the CBI court.

CBI’s allegations:

Lalu and former MLA and chairman of the public accounts committee (PAC) Jagdish Sharma with a view to protect and patronize the scamsters worked in tandem to get enquirers scuttled and stalled whenever such issues were raised.

Lalu was instrumental in promoting and extending service to scam kingpins and AHD officials, Late Dr Ram Raj Ram and Late Dr SB Sinha.

Huge withdrawal was made in 1994-95. Against the budgetary allocation of Rs. 74 crore for AHD, about Rs. 245 crore was withdrawn.

Lalu has close associations with accused suppliers DN Kashyap, Mohammad Sayeed among others.

Being the CM, Lalu never initiated any action to find out the cause of such alarming excess withdrawals from AHD and thus actively connived with -- finance minister, Chandra Prasad Verma; Vidya Sagar Nishad, Late Bhola Ram Toofani, cabinet ministers of AHD; Beck Julius, Mahesh Prasad, K Arumugam, Phool Chand Singh, AHD Secretaries -- to facilitate the fraud.

20% of the billed amount goes to suppliers and 80% goes to AHD officials, government officials, ministers, CM and other politicians.

Lalu's contentions:

"I have been targeted."

"None of the prosecution witnesses (350) ever mentioned my involvement in their testimony."

Persons who were accused in original FIR were made witnesses after filing of chargesheet.

Supplier Deepesh Chandak who lapped about Rs. 300 crore out of the total Rs. 550 crore scam money, was made prime witness by CBI.

CBI made the wrongdoers the approvers (witnesses), while making whistleblower (Lalu) accused.