Rs 10 cr lure for Jharkhand MLAs to topple government: Congress

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 31

In fresh trouble for the JMM-led ruling combine in Jharkhand, the Congress today suspended three of its MLAs arrested by the West Bengal Police on Saturday for allegedly carrying Rs 49 lakh in their SUV while travelling through Howrah and being unable to explain the source.

Cash piles: FIR filed

• Congress suspends 3 MLAs found with piles of cash in Bengal; FIR filed in Jharkhand
• Alleges they attempted to lure other MLAs with Rs 10 cr each
• BJP strikes back, saying ‘don’t blame us for your ills’

Number game

• Ruling combine: 51 MLAs, including 30 of JMM and 18 of Cong
• Opposition: 30 MLAs, including 26 of BJP, 2 AJSU and 2 Independents
• Total seats in House: 81

The Howrah district court today remanded the three in 10-day police custody. A zero FIR was also lodged against the MLAs in Ranchi under the Prevention of Corruption Act after Congress legislator Kumar Jaimangal alleged they had offered Rs 10 crore each and ministerial berths as inducements “for the fall of the JMM-Congress-RJD government in the state”, a charge BJP leaders Syed Zafar Islam and Babulal Marandi outrightly rejected.

“Congress president Sonia Gandhi has suspended the three MLAs found with the money. These MLAs were complicit in trying to mislead other party leaders in weakening the party in the state. In the coming days, anyone found involved in this (anti-party work) can even be expelled,” Congress general secretary (Jharkhand) Avinash Pande said at the AICC headquarters today.

Pande sought to link the arrest of MLAs Irfan Ansari from Jamtara, Rajesh Kachhap from Khijri and Naman Bixal Kongari from Kolebira to alleged BJP attempts at destabilising the Jharkhand Government with the party’s Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam repeating the allegation. BJP’s Zafar Islam said the Congress was “shifting the blame of its wrongdoing to others when Jharkhand had become “a den of corruption”. Marandi alleged that the Congress wanted to defame the BJP.

Back in Jharkhand, the state police said it had transferred the matter against the three MLAs to the Bengal police that was probing the issue. Kumar Jaimangal, meanwhile, alleged that he had been offered Rs 10 crore and was also offered a meeting with the Assam CM. Amid charges and counter-charges, Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh said the BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jharkhand stood exposed in Howrah.

Party’s communication chairman Pawan Khera taunted the probe agencies as “chapters of BJP and RSS”. The 81-member Jharkhand Assembly has 51 MLAs of the ruling combine, including JMM’s 30 and Congress’ 18, while the Opposition has 30 MLAs (BJP 26, AJSU two and two Independents).

Avinash Pande cited Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Arunachal, Manipur and Rajasthan to say “the trend of mocking democracy and mandates was touching new heights every day”.

“The CM of an important state (read Assam’s Himanta Sarma) is in touch with our Jharkhand MLAs and Union Ministers have been intimidating them for a while in Jharkhand. Shame on MLAs who are on sale and greater shame on those who buy lawmakers and force them to leave parent parties,” Pande said.

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