Lalu Prasad Yadav gets 14 years jail term, son Tejashwi fears life threat

Hours after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was sentenced to 14 years in jail in the fourth case linked to the fodder scam by a special CBI Court in Jharkhand’s Ranchi, his son Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday told the media that he feared for his father’s life.

“I fear for his life,” Tejashwi Yadav told the reporters.

The RJD leader also claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are scared of Lalu Prasad Yadav. “They do not want the RJD chief to come out because they know if he comes out Prime Minister Modi’s dream to continue the second term will be shattered.”

However, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi brushed aside Tejaswi Yadav’s claims and said, “There is no threat to Lalu Prasad Yadav. No one is allowed to meet the leader in jail.”

The multi-million-rupee fodder scam surfaced in the 1990s when Lalu Yadav was chief minister of undivided Bihar. Besides the former Chief Minister, 31 others are accused in this case, including chief minister Jagannath Mishra, who was acquitted by the court on Monday.

Besides Lalu Yadav, there are 31 other accused in this case, including another former chief minister Jagannath Mishra, who was acquitted by the court on Monday.

With the conviction, Lalu Prasad Yadav will not be able to contest elections or hold public office.