Patna Zoo Soil scam: More trouble for RJD as Nitish-led NDA orders probe against Lalu Prasad's son Tej Pratap

A day after taking oath, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and BJP government ordered a fresh probe in the alleged Patna zoo soil purchase scam involving Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav.

Lalu Prasad with elder son Tej Pratap Yadav (File Photo)

PATNA: More trouble seems to be brewing for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family.

A day after taking oath, Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government ordered a fresh probe in the alleged Patna zoo soil purchase scam involving Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav.

Sushil Kumar Modi, the current Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and former leader of Opposition, earlier alleged that the soil used for construction of basement in an upcoming city mall near Saguna Mor was purchased by Patna zoo for Rs 90 lakh. The deal was conducted without inviting any tenders. This happened during Tej Pratap's tenure as environment and forest.

He further claimed the 2-acre land on which the mall was built, belonged to Delight Marketing Company Pvt Ltd , where Lalu Prasad's sons — Tejashwi Prasad and Tej Pratap — were members of the board of directors.

Fresh files related to the purchase of soil will now be presented to state chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, a forest department official told TOI. In an earlier probe, the chief secretary had said that prima facie, no evidence of scam was found inthe soil purchased by Patna zoo during investigation.