To keep Lalu healthy, 2 brothers gift fresh veggies to him on New Year
LALU, A FORMER BIHAR CHIEF MINISTER WHO WAS CONVICTED ON DECEMBER 23 LAST YEAR IN A FODDER SCAM CASE, UNDERWENT A HEART SURGERY IN 2014, AND HAS BEEN UNDER STRICT DIET RESTRICTIONS SINCE
RANCHI: A carton full of organically grown fresh vegetables was one of the New Year gifts that jailed RJD president Lalu Prasad got on Monday.
Sexagenarian brothers, Ram Babu Yadav and Lal Babu Yadav, from Sabbalpur village in Bihar’s Saran district, who handed over the gift to authorities at the Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi, said they wanted Lalu to be healthy in jail.
“Laluji has heart ailments and needs to follow a healthy diet. We brought these organically grown vegetables all the way from Chapra specially for him,” said Ram Babu.
Lalu, a former Bihar chief minister who was convicted on December 23 last year in a fodder scam case related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89 lakh from the Deoghar treasury during 1991-94, underwent a heart surgery in 2014, and has been under strict diet restrictions since. He has quit non-vegetarian food and his staple diet includes veggies, dal and chapattis.
A CBI court will decide his quantum of punishment on January 3.
After being sent to the jail directly from the court, Lalu has been kept in the upper division cell, which he shares with seven other politicians — former Congress legislator Savna Lakra, former state minister Raja Peter, former legislators KK Bhagat, Sanjeev Singh, Enos Ekka, Jagdish Sharma and RK Rana.
As per the jail manual, being a VIP prisoner, Lalu is entitled to get food from outside and even cook for himself in the cell. However, none of Lalu’s family members showed up at the jail.
Hundreds of RJD supporters formed a beeline outside the jail’s main gate on Tuesday, carrying New Year gifts for their party supremo.
The jail manual also allows only three visitors per week.
So when the Yadav brothers expressed their desire to meet Lalu, they were not allowed.
Former minister Girinath Singh, senior RJD leader Sanjay Singh Yadav, Bihar legislator Ejya Yadav and Lalu’s close aide Bhola Yadav had met him on Tuesday.
Lalu’s nephew Birendra Prasad Yadav told the media that he met Lalu in the jail on Tuesday. However, jail superintendent Ashok Choudhary refuted his claims, but said that the jail superintendent has the power to take a call on allowing extra visitors.
Assuring that Lalu had no health issues for now, Girinath Singh said the party president had asked them to plan the future course of action after the January 3 decision of the court.
Last Monday, RJD leader Bhola Prasad, Jharkhand RJD chief Annapurna Devi and legislator Ranvijay Singh met him in the jail.
The RJD has been demanding to tweak the jail rules for Lalu and let him meet visitors every day.
Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad and his followers had created ruckus outside the jail on December 24 after failing to meet Lalu. They had threatened to stage protests across Ranchi on January 3 — the day court will announce the sentence to Lalu.