Bjp Urges President To Grant Permission To Prosecute Verma

The BJP yesterday appealed to President Shankar Dayal Sharma to expeditiously grant sanction to the CBI to chargesheet Union minister Chadradeo Prasad Verma for his role in the multi-crore fodder scam in Bihar.

BJP spokesperson Yashwant Sinha said he was surprised that Verma gave a statement saying that he would abide only by the Bihar Chief Ministers direction on his resignation from the United Front government, rather than follow the direction of Prime Minister IK Gujral. And Gujral does not have the courage to ask for Vermas resignation, Sinha said. The Presidents sanction for prosecuting Verma would also help Bihar Governor AR Kidwai to give sanction to the CBI to prosecute Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav for the same offence, Sinha said. The Bihar Governor is perhaps waiting for a singal in this form from the Centre.

Sinha took exception to Kidwai granting audience to former Bihar Chief Minister and an accused in the fodder scam, Jagannath Mishra, but denying the same to BJP Raja Sabha member Shatrughan Sinha and leader of opposition in the Bihar legislative assembly, Sushil Modi. The Governor could have avoided meeting Mishra at this sensitive point of time, even if it was to discuss issues other than the fodder scam, he said.

All BJP MPs and MLAs and party office bearers from Bihar would stage a march to the Raj Bhavan in Patna on May 23, in order to step up pressure on the Governor to grant immediate sanction. This would be followed by district level anti-Laloo campaigns that would culminate in Rail roko agitation inthe state from June 17, Sinha said.