Jharkhand MLA Alleges Bid To Topple Government; Himanta Sarma Denies It

Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal on Sunday alleged that BJP is trying to topple the JMM-Cong coalition government in Jharkhand and claimed that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has a major role to play in it.

Mr Jaimangal wrote a letter of complaint against three Congress MLAs arrested in West Bengal's Howrah with a huge amount of cash. He alleged that the trio had called him to Kolkata to take him to Guwahati and meet Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati along with them where he would have been promised a ministerial berth and cash worth crores after bringing down the JMM-Congress government in the tribal-dominated state.

His letter stated, that Assam Chief Minister "is doing it with the blessings of top shots of BJP political party sitting in Delhi."

The Bermo legislator said he was asked by the arrested Congress MLAs to come to Kolkata and leave for Guwahati together. Besides Rs 10 crore for each MLA, Jamtara legislator Irfan Ansari told him that he had been promised the health minister's post in the new government of the BJP.

Kumar Jaimangal addressed the complaint letter to the Argora police station in Ranchi.

However, Assam Chief Minister refuted the allegation made against him to topple the Jharkhand government.

"Even topmost persons of Congress keep in touch with me. 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," said Chief Minister Sarma on allegations by Kumar Jaimangal Singh.

Three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand were detained in West Bengal's Howrah district on Saturday evening after a huge amount of cash was found in their vehicle, police said. The SUV in which MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were travelling was intercepted on National Highway-16 at Ranihati in the Panchla police station area.

The relatives of Congress MLA Irfan Ansari rebutted allegations that BJP is trying to destabilize the JMM-Cong coalition government in Jharkhand, making the surprising statement, "the government cannot be brought down with just a meagre sum of Rs 40-50 lakh."

The Congress party on Sunday suspended three MLAs, who were held with a huge amount of cash in West Bengal on Saturday, with immediate effect.

Addressing a press conference today, the general secretary and party in-charge of Jharkhand Congress, Avinash Pande said, "The three MLAs, who were held with a mountain of cash yesterday, have been suspended from the party with immediate effect."

Congress alleged that BJP attempted to destabilize the state government following the seizure of cash from three MLAs, BJP slammed the Congress for their allegations.

Talking to ANI, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said "Whenever Congress or leaders from the Jharkhand government land up in any difficulty they immediately start using the word 'destabilization' like Pakistan's government use Kashmir word. But they cannot escape by blaming BJP."

Notably, JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha)-Congress alliance is in power in Jharkhand and BJP is in Opposition.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)