RANCHI: Alleging that the BJP was trying to topple the JMM-led government in Jharkhand by offering Rs 10 crore to each MLA, the Congress on Sunday said it has lodged a police complaint against its three legislators arrested in West Bengal’s Howrah with a huge amount of cash.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress minister Alamgir Alam said the party’s Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal has lodged the police complaint against the three legislators for allegedly luring other MLAs by offering Rs 10 crore each and a ministerial berth if the BJP forms government in the state.
Acting on a tip-off, the West Bengal Police on Saturday evening intercepted an SUV in which Congress MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were travelling, and allegedly found a huge amount of cash in the vehicle. After questioning, they were arrested on Sunday afternoon.
“Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were asking me to come to Kolkata and were offering money, promising Rs 10 crore per MLA. Ifran Ansari and Rajesh Kachchap wanted to take me to Guwahati from Kolkata where according to them a meeting was fixed with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma,” Jaimangal claimed.
After filing the complaint at the Argora police station in Ranchi, he claimed that he has sought action against the three MLAs under Section 7(C) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC Section 120 (B), which deals with criminal conspiracy.
He said he has urged the police to check criminal activities detrimental to the health of democracy.
An officer of the Argora police station said since the cash was recovered in West Bengal, they were transferring the matter to the neighbouring state.
The Congress, which is a part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand along with Lalu Prasad’s RJD, has already suspended the three MLAs.
Senior BJP leader Babulal Marandi said the Congress has conspired to defame his party by filing a false police complaint to hide its own sins. “This is shameful and ridiculous. They do not trust their own MLAs. They are trying to hide the corruptions and misdeeds of their MLAs,” said Marandi, a former chief minister. PTI
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