Patna, Dec 22 (IANS) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Tuesday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into an alleged Rs.4,000-crore scam in the Bihar State Electricity Board.
“It is a serious issue, there should be a CBI probe into the Rs.4,000-crore scam in the BSEB (Bihar Electricity State Board) in the full knowledge of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,” Lalu Prasad said at a press conference here at the official residence of his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi.

The RJD chief said his party would launch an agitation on the issue if the Nitish Kumar government failed to hand over the case to the CBI.

RJD MP Jagdanand Singh, who was also present, said that only a CBI probe could come out with truth into the alleged Rs.4,000 crore scam in the BSEB.

“It was a clear-cut case of loot by BSEB chairman Swapan Mukherjee, who was provided protection by Nitish Kumar,” Singh alleged.

Singh released a long letter he wrote to Nitish Kumar, in which he informed the chief minister of misappropriation of power allotted from central pool to Bihar and a large-scale theft of power by vested interests with full knowledge of the BSEB chairman that resulted in a loss of Rs.1,000 crore annually to the state exchequer.

“In last four years, power worth Rs.4,000 crore was looted,” he said.

Singh said that the Nitish Kumar government had shunted out two BSEB directors-general (vigilance) after they pursued anti-corruption measures and had even lodged a case against the BSEB chairman and six others for causing a heavy revenue loss to the board.

“Both IPS (Indian Police Service) officers Anand Shankar and Manoje Nath had the reputation of being fiercely independent, honest and upright. But they were shunted out after they tried to initiate action against the BSEB chairman for corruption,” Singh said.