Now, trouble in Jharkhand: Congress suspends 3 MLAs caught with huge amount of cash in West Bengal

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, July 31

In a fresh trouble for the JMM-led ruling combine in Jharkhand, the Congress on Sunday suspended three MLAs detained by the West Bengal police last night with huge piles of cash in their vehicle.

“Congress president Sonia Gandhi has suspended the three MLAs found with money. These MLAs were complicit in trying to mislead other party leaders in weakening the party in the state. In the coming days, anyone, be it an office-bearer, a party leader or a worker, found involved in this (working against party interests) will be proceeded against and may be even expelled,” Congress general secretary Jharkhand Avinash Pande said addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters today.

Pande sought to link the arrest of the three MLAs—Irfan Ansari from Jamtara, Rajesh Kachhap from Khijri and Naman Bixal Kongari from Kolebira are currently being interrogated by Howrah Rural police about the source of money—to alleged BJP attempts at destabilising the Jharkhand Government.

“The BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jharkhand stands exposed in Howrah. The game plan of ‘Hum Do’ in Delhi is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra by installing E-D duo,” AICC general secretary communication Jairam Ramesh said.

The opposition Congress cited past examples—the latest being Maharashtra—to allege misuse of probe agencies primarily the ED and the Income Tax “to destabilise Opposition-ruled state governments and install the BJP dispensations instead.

“It is time to describe probe agencies as chapters of the BJP and RSS. These agencies are not doing their job. They are doing the BJP’s bidding and aiding attempts to steal mandates,” AICC communication department chairman Pawan Khera alleged.

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 2 and two Independents).

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the arrest of its MLAs was part of the larger BJP design to dislodge the JMM Government in the state.

“Places where the BJP cannot come to power through elections, it conspires to destroy democracy by using agencies,” Khera said.

Pande said the trend of “destabilisation of non-BJP governments had touched new highs.”

“In a country where the rule of law exists, we are surprised at the brazenness with which the ruling BJP resorts to democracy-destroying tactics. This is a black chapter in India’s history. Attempts are under way to steal mandates. The CM of an important state (read Assam’s Himanta Sarma) is in touch with our MLAs and Union ministers have been threatening and intimidating them for a while in Jharkhand,” Pande alleged.

He said some MLAs were arrested in West Bengal with huge caches of money.

Clearly, efforts are being made to weaken the government in Jharkhand and change the government there, Pande accused the BJP.

“You saw what happened in Maharashtra. In 31 days also, a Cabinet has not been formed because the CM and Deputy CM are afraid that the government might fall if the Cabinet is declared. In Madhya Pradesh the same thing happened. The ED and IT teams are stationed in Chhattisgarh for the same purpose. In Rajasthan we saw how the BJP tried to destabilise the Congress Government. Goa, Karnataka, Arunachal, Manipur saw the same surprising pattern,” said Pande.

He said shame be upon the MLAs who are on sale and greater shame be upon those who try to buy them and force them to leave their parent party.

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