Tej Pratap’s fuel pump licence cancelled

Patna, June 17 (IANS) Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav's petrol pump licence was cancelled by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) on Saturday on allegations that he acquired the land for the pump "illegally".

Tej Pratap Yadav is the elder son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

On May 29, BPCL served a show cause notice to Tej Pratap seeking his reply on allegations by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi that he was not the real owner of the land on Anisabad bypass road here where the pump is situated.

The notice was served by Manish Kumar, BPCL Territory Manager (Retail), Patna. The complaint said that Tej Pratap had acquired the petrol pump by furnishing "wrong" information. He was given 15 days' time to respond to the notice, which has expired.

Tej Pratap had applied for the licence in 2012 and the retail outlet was commissioned to M/S Lara Automobiles, represented by him as its proprietor, on February 27 this year.

According to the complainant, the Minister had falsely declared in his application that the land is in his name. The real owner of the land is M/S A.K. Infosystems "who had never given the land on lease to you (Tej Pratap)".

However, Tej Pratap's younger brother Tejashwi Yadav, who is Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, called the BPCL's decision a "one sided action".

"Is mudde par ektarfa karyawahi kyon ho rahi hai, sach jald hi saamne aa jaayega (Why is the proceeding in this case one-sided, truth will be out soon)," he said.