In A surprising move, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday brought up the issue of black money stashed abroad by Indians in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the General Budget.

At a time when even the first party to raise the matter, the BJP, did not bring it up in the House, Lalu’s move was seen as yet another instance of UPA allies like the RJD and Samajwadi Party trying to assert themselves against the UPA government, which they support, by closing ranks with the Opposition on certain issues.

In the run-up to the elections, the BJP and JD(U) had demanded that the government hold a probe into the black money held by Indians abroad. But during the discussion on the Budget in the House on Thursday, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi as well as JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lallan’ made no mention of it.

It was Lalu who raised the matter, citing a commitment made in this regard by the government in the speech made by the President, as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee looked on quietly. “Whether it is the BJP, we or you, we all are concerned about black money stashed in Swiss banks. We should try to find out who all have money there,” he said.

“It appears that our quest (for inquiry) has gone slow on this matter (since I have left the government),” Lalu said, cajoling Mukherjee to go the extra mile on the matter. “At least we can find out who all have withdrawn their money. The government should easily get this information. You should try... Then you would also get into the ranks of V P Singh (who took the lead in raising the Bofors scandal).”

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