On Tuesday, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed that the FIR filed by the Jharkhand Congress MLA named Kumar Jaimangal alleging that the 3 arrested Congress MLAs had lured him to meet Sarma, was fake. “Fake FIR in Jharkhand. The so-called FIR looks like Congress asking Ottavio Quattrocchi to file a case against Bofors”, he tweeted in sarcasm slamming Jaimangal for filing fake FIR.
This is a day after Jharkhand Police filed an FIR based on the complaint filed by Jaimangal against Congress MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap, and Naman Bixal Kongari. Jaimangal in the complaint claimed that the three MLAs had called him to Kolkata to meet Assam CM who was allegedly planning to topple the JMM-led government in Jharkhand. According to Jaimangal, the MLAs told him that Sarma would give him a ministerial berth in the new government as well as Rs 10 crores if he were to assist in overthrowing the current government.
Jaimangal also alleged in the complaint that arrested MLA Ansari had informed him that Sarma was involved in efforts to destabilize the administration with the permission of ‘top guns of the BJP political party sitting in Delhi’. He claimed that he did not want to be a part of ‘the unconstitutional, unlawful, and frankly criminal behavior’ and had requested the authorities to intervene in the matter.
Reportedly, the three MLAs were arrested on Sunday after the West Bengal Police found a huge amount of cash in their vehicles. Following this, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he was in touch with the Congress leaders but they never discussed politics. Sarma had left Congress and joined BJP in the year 2015. “We don’t talk about politics but being in a party for over 22 years, we keep in touch. I don’t know why FIR was filed on this”, he was quoted.
On Tuesday as Assam Minister Piyush Hazarika tweeted about the said FIR and called allegations put forth by Jharkhand Congress MLA Jaimangal baseless. “He made fake allegations that 3 arrested MLAs had lured him to meet the Assam CM. 5 days before filing the fabricated FIR, Sarma Sir took him to the residence of the Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi Ji at 9 am of 26th July 2022 in order to help him in his trade union related matter”, he said sharing a few pictures of the meeting.
Hazarika also added that Jaimangal has been meeting CM Sarma regularly. Reiterating that the FIR filed by the Congress MLA was fake, he said that ‘Jaimangal should face the law for making a fraudulent allegation against Chief Minister of Assam and against those tribal MLAs’.
The state of Jharkhand is governed by a coalition of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, with the Bharatiya Janata Party in opposition. On Sunday, an FIR based on Jaimangal’s allegation was submitted at Ranchi’s Argora police station. Sections 8 (bribery of a public servant) and 9 (bribery of a public servant by a commercial organisation) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Section 171B of the Representation of the People Act (bribery), and criminal conspiracy sections of the Indian Penal Code have been cited by the police.