A day after three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand were caught in Howrah in West Bengal with huge amounts of money, another Jharkhand Congress MLA has made sensational allegations against them. Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal Singh has alleged that the three MLAs, Rajesh Kachhaap, Naman Bixal Kongari and Irfan Ansari were planning to go to Assam and meet CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in a conspiracy to topple the Hemant Soren government.
Kumar Jaimangal has lodged a complaint with the Ranchi police against the three Congress MLAs, alleging that they had approached him to join them in toppling the JMM-Congress alliance government. He has alleged that the MLAs Rajesh Kachhaap, Naman Bixal Kongari and Irfan Ansari are calling him to Kolkata and offering Rs 10 crore and an assured ministerial berth in the new Jharkhand govt after the collapse of the current one.
According to him, the MLAs want to take him to Guwahati and meet Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Sarma will assure him the money and the ministry. He further says that Irfan Ansari has already been promised the health ministry in the new govt.
The MLA has written in his complaint, “Shri Irfan Ansari and Rajesh Kachchap wants me to come to Kolkata and then take me to Guwahati where according to him he will make me meet Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma who will give me assurance of a definite ministerial berth apart from the money. Irfan Ansari has told me that he has already been promised Health ministry in the new government. He also told me that he shall be reaching Kolkata yesterday afternoon. He said that he has already got money transferred to his persons and once I reach Guwahati and promise it in front of Shri Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. He assured me that Shri Sarma is doing it with the blessings of top shots of BJP political party sitting in Delhi.”
Kumar Jaimangal Singh has written that he does not want to be part of this unconstitutional activity, and therefore seeking action against them. He said that the three MLAs are in Kolkata with token amount, presumably received to topple the govt, and that they are pressuring him to go to Kolkata and accompany them to Guwahati.
The Congress MLA has sought action against the three MLAs under section 7(C) of Prevention of Corruption Act and 120B IPC. He wrote in his complaint to police “Since I do not want to a part of such a criminal offence and indulge in such unethical activity which breaks the constitutional structure of the country, would request you to take action as per section 7(C) of Prevention Of Corruption Act and 120B IPC and bring this kind of criminal activity to stop which strikes at the very heart of the democracy and book the persons as per the provisions of law for influencing me for an illegal act in active collusion with others who are operating from behind to topple the present Govt of Jharkhand with a dangerous design and adopting all sorts of illegal ways by influencing their position being in capacity of Public Servants.”
It is notable that after they were caught with Rs 49 lakh in cash in Howrah, Khijri MLA Rajesh Kachhaap, Kolebira MLA Naman Bixal Kongari and Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari has been suspended from the Congress party. Announcing the suspension, Congress leader Pawan Khera had alleged BJP was trying to topple state governments.
However, the MLAs have denied the charges, and said that they went to Kolkata to buy sarees from wholesale markets, as they are cheaper in Kolkata.
In the 2019 Jharkhand elections, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had won 30 seats and its alliance partner Congress won 16 seats, against BJP’s 25. With RJD’s 7, the government currently has a comfortable majority.
In the meanwhile, Assam CM Hemanta Biswa Sarma has denied the allegations made by Kumar Jaimangal Singh. He said that even the topmost Congress leaders keep in touch with me, but they don’t talk about politics. As he was in Congress 22 years, he maintain contact with them, but he does not know why the FIR was filed on this matter.