3 J’khand Cong MLAs held in Bengal cash haul
The vehicle (JH 09AQ 0016) was carrying the name plate of Irfan Ansari, Congress MLA from Jamtara in Jharkhand, who was in the vehicle when it was intercepted at Panchla in Howrah district, around 30 km west of Kolkata.
Three Congress legislators from Jharkhand were Saturday detained in West Bengal after huge cash was recovered from the vehicle they were travelling in, police said.
The vehicle (JH 09AQ 0016) was carrying the name plate of Irfan Ansari, Congress MLA from Jamtara in Jharkhand, who was in the vehicle when it was intercepted at Panchla in Howrah district, around 30 km west of Kolkata.
Besides Ansari, MLA from Jamtara, the other two Congress legislators detained are Rajesh Kachhap, MLA of Khijri, and Naman Bixal Kongari, MLA of Kolebira, police said.
The legislators were being questioned by the state police on the source of the cash.
“Acting on specific information, we intercepted the vehicle. There were three MLAs from Jharkhand in the vehicle. There was huge amount of cash in the vehicle. We are bringing in currency note counting machines. The legislators are being questioned,” said Swati Bhangalia, superintendent of police, Howrah (rural).
There were five persons in the vehicle, including the driver and the three MLAs. The seized cash, the car and the MLAs were taken to Panchla police station, police said.
“They have not been able to give any satisfactory answers. Questioning is going on,” said a police officer.
At least 9-10 of the 18 Congress legislators in Jharkhand had cross-voted in favour of the NDA candidate in the July 18 presidential elections.
The Jharkhand Congress has been a divided house, with a section of legislators, including the three detained in West Bengal, who have been critical of the four Congress ministers in the Hemant Soren cabinet.
Also, Jharkhand is rife with speculation of a possible political realignment in the state. The Congress is the second lead partner in the JMM-Congress-RJD combine government led by Soren, who, along with his close aides, is surrounded by allegations of corruption.
Jharkhand Congress president Rakesh Thakur did not respond to calls.
However, earlier in the day, All India Congress Committee in-charge of Jharkhand, Avinash Pande, who was on a three-day stocktaking exercise in the state, told reporters in Ranchi that the party’s central leadership would soon act against party legislators from the state who cross-voted in favour of President Droupadi Murmu.
JMM said it’s an internal matter of the Congress. “We will be able to speak anything on it only after the details are clear, but there is no denying the fact that attempts are afoot to destabilise the Jharkhand government,” said Supriyo Bhattacharya, principal general secretray and spokesperson, JMM.
Reacting to the development, Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “BJP has zero tolerance against corruption. But let the facts be established before we react officially.”