Fact Check: IRCTC scam – Nitish Kumar says Lalu Yadav falsely charged? Here are the facts
A video has been circulating online, claiming that Nitish Kumar said that Lalu Yadav is being harassed by the Central government.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:After a Delhi court framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family on October 13 in the alleged IRCTC scam, Nitish Kumar said that Lalu is being framed without reason by the Centre.
Fact:The claim is misleading. Nitish Kumar made this statement in August 2023, when the NDA and RJD were in alliance ruling Bihar together, not in response to the recent October 13 court verdict.
Hyderabad: On October 13, a Delhi court framed charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. His wife, Rabri Devi, and son Tejashwi Yadav face charges of conspiracy and cheating in the IRCTC hotel scam case.
For the upcoming Bihar elections, the incumbent NDA, led by Nitish Kumar, and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, led by Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav, have intensified their campaigns.
Meanwhile, a video of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stating that the Central government is harassing Lalu Yadav is being shared on social media. The text in the video linking the statement to the 2025 Bihar assembly election stated that Nitish Kumar has exposed the BJP, which has caused a storm in politics.
Sharing the video, a Facebook user wrote, “Nitish sometimes speaks the truth. Nitish has attributed the charges and counter-charges against Lalu to political motives. Nitish has said that Lalu is being falsely implicated without reason.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading, as the video is from August 2023 and is not linked to charges framed against Lalu Yadav and his family members by a Delhi court in 2025.
We conducted a keyword search and found the viral clip featured in a video report published by Bihar’s local media outlet, Live Cities, on August 25, 2023.
According to the report, Nitish Kumar made the remarks to the media after attending a state program marking the birth anniversary of late BP Mandal.
In the footage, Kumar is seen alongside Tejashwi Yadav, then Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. When questioned about the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) decision to approach the Supreme Court against bail granted to Lalu Yadav, Kumar responded that Yadav is being deliberately harassed by the Central government.
Did CBI go against Yadav’s bail to the Supreme Court in August 2023?
Media outlets The Week and Business Today reported on August 18, 2023, that the CBI filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the bail granted to Lalu Prasad Yadav by the Jharkhand High Court in the fodder scam case. The Supreme Court scheduled the hearing for August 25, 2023.
On August 25, Live Cities published a report in which Kumar accused the Central government of deliberately harassing Yadav.
Therefore, we conclude that a statement from 2023 by Nitish Kumar is being circulated to mislead people regarding the recent Delhi court verdict in the alleged IRCTC scam.
