Government may take cognisance of land-related cases against Lalu, says Bihar dy CM

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Thursday (January 1, 2025) hinted that the Revenue and Land Reforms department may take cognisance of reports that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad holds illegal landed property.

His statement came after JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar requested the government to inquire into such property of Mr. Prasad.

"If someone brings an application to Jan Kalyan Samvad in this regard, our officials… our government will certainly take cognisance," said Mr. Sinha who also holds the Revenue and Land Reforms portfolio.

He was responding to a question whether he will act on the JD(U) spokesperson's request.

Mr. Sinha has been holding 'Bhoomi Sudhar Jan Kalyan Samvad' meetings across several districts of Bihar. In those meetings, department officials and people having grievances over land-related matters discuss their issues in his presence to solve the problems quickly.

Mr. Sinha lately faced flak from officers regarding the language he allegedly used against officers of the department during such a public hearing.

The Bihar Revenue Service Association (BiRSA) has made a complaint against the conduct of Mr. Sinha in a letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The letter claimed that the remarks made by the deputy CM had "not only deeply damaged the dignity of the state's revenue administration, but also deliberately made an entire service cadre the subject of public ridicule and outrage."

To a question on Thursday, he asserted that he will continue holding Jan Kalyan Samvad meetings.

"As long as I am here, I will continue working against mafias. The leadership has given me the opportunity to serve the people and I will continue doing this," Mr. Sinha said.

He thanked the people of Bihar for providing him the opportunity to serve.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that they (people of Bihar) don't have to shed tears and face trouble," Mr. Sinha said.