Hotel allotment scam: Vendetta, cries Lalu on CBI raids; Venkaiah denies

Patna/New Delhi: Hours after his houses were raided by Central Bureau of Investigation and a criminal conspiracy case was filed against him on Friday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Lalu Prasad Yadav has claimed action against him to be a result of ‘political vendetta’.

Speaking to media, “They want me to bow down to the RSS and BJP. They want me to surrender. I will not break down by what the BJP is doing. It is being done to defame me. They want to isolate all parties and want to rule. This is a political vendetta against me and my family”.

On the other hand, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu has responded to the allegations saying that the government and BJP have nothing to do with the raids.

The information and broadcasting minister said the CBI was doing its duty and acting in accordance with the mandate given to it by law.

"What is political vendetta? Where is BJP in this? I am not able to understand. Do you mean to say that anybody against whom any charge is there, it should not be inquired into at all?" Naidu asked.

"CBI is doing its duty and it is allowed to do so. Earlier it was not allowed... after our government came there is no interference and that is why CBI is free and acting as per the mandate given to it...," he told reporters.

The raids against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and his family started at 7 am on Friday and were conducted at 12 locations in Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Gurugram after the investigating agency registered a corruption case.

It is alleged that Yadav as railway minister handed over the maintenance of two railway hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land of three acres through a benami company.