Did Bengal Save Jharkhand Govt by Arresting Its 3 Congress MLAs with Rs 45 Lakh in Howrah?

On July 30, three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand were arrested in West Bengal’s Howrah for possessing more than Rs 45 lakh in their car.

The MLAs are Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixal Kongari.

The Howrah Police arrested them, but the case was immediately transferred to the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

Investigation revealed that the arrest has political implications across Assam, Bengal and Jharkhand.

THE CLAIMS

Another Congress MLA Anup Singh claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma offered the money to him and the MLAs to topple the Jharkhand government.

After his claim, BJP minister from Assam Piyush Hazarika released a photograph showing Singh meeting Sarma for breakfast.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) in a press conference claimed the money was “absolutely meant to topple the Jharkhand government”.

“It is to Bengal police’s credit that they helped save the Jharkhand government. We have caught them red-handed. The plan was to topple the Jharkhand government. West Bengal thwarted it,” said WB CM Mamata Banerjee.

Sources in the CID said the money was taken from Assam and the MLAs visited Assam twice.

Sources alleged the plan was to bring down the government on August 5. They claimed the MLAs were being “bought” with the help of couple of businessmen Sidharth Majumdar from Delhi and Ashok Dhanuka from Assam.

THE ‘BIZ’ LINK

The Bengal CID team went to raid Majumdar, but they got stoppage from local police. High drama ensued between the CID and Delhi Police. The CID had to send their seniors to sort out the matter. Not only this, the CID claimed that for some time they were also stopped in Guwahati. Majumdar is absconding. Dhanuka, an influential businessman from Assam, has been summoned, but he did not turn up.

Mahendra Agarwala, another businessman in Kolkata, has been arrested. CID sources claimed he is linked to the case.

The CID has already raided one of the MLAs’ house and recovered Rs 5 lakh. Sources claimed a car in Jharkhand allegedly used to move the cash has been identified.

Sources in CID said they have interrogated Singh and he has given a strong statement on the plot to oust the Jharkhand Government.

SEPARATE CASE

In another case, advocate Rajib was arrested from Kolkata with Rs 50 lakh. Kolkata police sources said he used to file public interest litigations and extort money. He is linked with the Enforcement Directorate’s then Deputy Director Subodh Kumar, who is now posted in Odisha. The Kolkata police team reached Odisha to interrogate him, but he was on leave.

Now, eight IPS officers of Bengal have been called by ED in Delhi.

ED versus Kolkata Police, Bengal CID versus Delhi Police, the fight is on.

Not only political parties or State and Central Governments, but even the State and Central police seem to be at loggerheads.

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