Vajpayee asks PM not to delay chargesheet against Laloo

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition, has cautioned Prime Minister I K Gujral against any attempt to ''delay'' the filing of a chargesheet against Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam.

In a letter to Gujral, the BJP leader said within days of the former's commitment to Parliament on April 22 -- that no guilty person would be protected during his tenure as prime minister -- the CBI was trying to ''cover up'' the fodder scam. The letter was released to mediapersons on Friday.

Vajpayee said he learnt that the CBI's special director recommended the prosecution of 85 people in the case following a report submitted by its joint director. Though the accounts for 1994-95 clearly establish the guilt of these individuals, the CBI now wants to examine the accounts for 1991-94 to make the case fool-proof, he said. This clearly shows that the CBI director is buying time despite his undertaking to the high court that a definitive answer about the 'conspiracy' aspect would be given by April 28, he added.

The former prime minister said there was a deliberate delay in filing of the chargesheet for at least two years ''despite clear finding''. This change in attitude has ''strongly coincided'' with the change of government at the Centre, ''which I presume is not accidental''.

The BJP leader pointed out that another aspect of the fodder scam was the amassing of wealth by Laloo Yadav which neither he nor his family could explain. Yet the CBI was blind to it, despite the fact the burden of proof shifts to the accused in such circumstances, he said.

Recalling the April-end deadline set by the CBI for completing investigations in certain sensitive cases like the Bofors and the urea scam, Vajpayee hoped that Gujral would ''act with urgency'' in the matter.

UNI