On a day when the JD(U)-RJD government faces trust vote on the floor of the Bihar Assembly, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday raided the residences of two senior RJD leaders in connection with the “land-for-jobs” scam case that had allegedly taken place when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union Railway Minister under the UPA-I government.

RJD MLC Sunil Singh, whose house is being raided, called it an act of desperation by the BJP in a bid to scare Opposition MLAs in the state, and get their support for the trust vote somehow. “It is being done intentionally. There is no meaning to it. They are doing it thinking that out of fear, MLAs will come in their favor,” Singh, who is also the chairperson of Biscomaun Patna, told news agency ANI. According to reports, raids are also underway at the houses of RJD MLC Subodh Roy, and RJD MPs Ashfaque Karim and Faiyaz Ahmad.

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Pointing out at the predictability of the CBI raids, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha told ANI, “Useless to say that it’s raid by ED or IT or CBI, it’s a raid by BJP. They work under BJP now, their offices run with BJP script. Today is Floor Test (in Bihar Assembly) & what’s happening here? It has become predictable.” Jha further added that Bihar’s Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had already warned on Tuesday evening that the BJP can go to great lengths before the trust vote. “It didn’t take even 24 hours. They stooped down even lower. What is this anger? That a Govt didn’t run as per you? That it changed the alliance for public welfare?,” Jha told ANI.

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The CBI has already made few arrests including some railway officials in connection with the case. Last month, the CBI arrested former officer on special duty (OSD) of then railway Lalu Prasad Yadav between 2004-2009. The arrest happened following the Income Tax department’s raids on Bhla Yadav’s house. The scam pertains to the illegal Group D staff recruitments in various railway departments in exchange of land.