Former chief minister Jagannath Mishra and (below) Jagdish Sharma

Patna, Aug. 27: The NDA supporters through their bellicose campaign against the Rs 1000-crore fodder scam succeeded in projecting Lalu Prasad — ruling the state by proxy then — as the alleged “main villain” in the loot of the state treasuries and, apparently, came to power, riding on the wave against the mega-scandal.

Six years after coming to power in the state, the ruling Janata Dal (United) has two of its stalwarts — former chief minister Jagannath Mishra and MP Jagdish Sharma — scheduled to appear with the RJD boss in the CBI’s special court to face the framing of charges against them on August 29.

The leaders of the two rival parties — the JD(U) and the RJD — struck a common cause, praying to the court to discharge them from the CBI’s allegations. But the court has rejected their discharge petition, asking the “triumvirate” to appear in person on August 29.

Ironically, six years down the line, the JD(U), along with the BJP, has more of its senior leaders chargesheeted by the CBI in the fodder scam than the RJD. The special court has summoned these leaders among others in the case (RC- 63 A/ 1996), dealing with the conspiracy aspect of the scam, for framing the charges.

But RC-63A/ 1996 is not the only case in which the rival leaders will fight for a common cause. Sources said that there are, at least, five other cases in which Jagdish Sharma, Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Prasad will be tried together for their “involvement” in the conspiracy to fraudulently draw money from the treasures in Jharkhand courts.

How did it happen? How the politicians accused in the fodder scam, which was the NDA’s main electoral plank, become a part of the NDA? Replying to the query, a senior JD(U) leader said: “They (Jagdish and Jagannath) joined our party. Jagdish got the JD(U) ticket and became MP from Jehanabad. Jagannath’s son Nitish Mishra is rural development minister in Nitish-led government.”

The JD(U) leader, on the condition of anonymity, said that Nitish has, so far, kept his cabinet free from crime and corruption-tainted leaders but he has not set any “stringent” criteria to stop the entry of the “corrupt forces” in the party. “The party should have obstructed the entry of the elements it fought so vociferously against,” the leader said.

The leaders in question — Jagannath Mishra and Jagdish Sharma — refused to speak on the issue taking the plea of it being “subjudice”, but the senior JD(U) leader’s remarks virtually explained the “compulsion” that is associated with power politics.

Nitish had dropped Jitanram Majhi from his cabinet a day after the latter’s name cropped up in a case of education scam during the NDA’s first term. The chief minister re-inducted Majhi in his cabinet after the court exonerated the latter from the charges.

The chief minister, working steadfastly on his “avowed principle” not to induct a corruption or crime-tainted legislator in his ministry, dropped Ramadhar Singh after the latter was found absconding in a criminal case of 1992. Nitish will, apparently, not take Ramadhar back until the court clears him from the charges.

But the chief minister seems to have failed to apply the same yardstick for the entry of tainted leaders in the JD(U). Observers believe it is not easy to stop leaders with “clout” on the masses from entry into a party. For instance, the JD(U) denied ticket to Jagish’s wife in 2009 by-election on the Ghoshi seat in a resolve to discourage “nepotism” in his party. Jagish’s wife, however, won the seat as an Independent nominee.

Succumbing to Jagidish’s clout, the JD(U) later gave Rahul Kumar — Jagidish’s son — the party ticket in 2010 elections and Rahul now is a JD(U) MLA.