Will appeal in higher court, says Lalu's son

Soon after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad was convicted in a fodder scam case by the Special CBI court here Monday, his son Tejaswi Yadav told reporters that the conviction will be challenged in a higher court.

"We will appeal in higher courts, we have faith in the legal system," Tejaswi Yadav said.

"We will also go to the court of the people. The powers conspiring against us to trap our leader will get a fitting reply in the coming elections," Tejaswi Yadav said.

Party leader Raghuvansh Prasad called the legal fight a "political battle".

"We are preparing to file for bail. This is not just a legal battle, this is a political battle. All those who were against us have come together to trap us," Raghuvansh Prasad said.

He alleged that the popular view against the ordinance which seeks to reverse the Supreme Court judgment on convicted politicians was meant to trap Lalu Prasad.

"In the all-party meeting, it was decided that the Supreme Court judgment on convicted lawmakers will be reversed. But when JD-U (Janata Dal-United) and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) saw that Lalu Yadav is getting convicted, they changed their mind," Raghuvansh Prasad told a TV news channel.

Asked if he felt that the Congress had abandoned his party, Raghuvansh Prasad replied: "When was the Congress with us? We were with them just to fight communal forces."