After BJP termed as "baseless" the allegations by Congress that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was attempting to topple the JMM-Congress government in Jharkhand, Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal on Tuesday said he had met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to discuss trade-related matters.
Speaking to reporters, the Jharkhand MLA said, "The tweet by Pijush Hazarika was deleted, if it was true why he deleted it? I was at Pralhad Joshi's Delhi home around 25-26 July. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma took me there. We discussed issues related to coal. Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren knew about the visit. I have not levelled allegations against MLAs. The money that has been caught with the MLAs is a matter for income tax"
Jharkhand MLA Jaimangal had earlier written a letter alleging that three of his colleagues arrested in West Bengal recently had asked him to meet Assam chief minister in Guwahati and he would be given a ministerial berth and huge cash to bring down the JMM-Congress government.
BJP leader Hazarika, however, said that Kumar Jaimangal should "face the law for making a fraudulent allegation" against Sarma.
"Mr. @KumarJaimangal has been regularly meeting HCM Dr.@himantabiswa sir. He should face the law for making a fraudulent allegation against Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam and against those tribal MLAs," tweeted the Assam MLA.
A Congress MLA from Bermo, Jaimangal had on Sunday alleged that BJP is trying to topple the JMM-Cong coalition government in Jharkhand. He claimed that Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had a major role to play in it.
Reacting to this, Assam chief minister on Tuesday took to Twitter to share pictures posted by Assam BJP MLA Pijush Hazarika in which Jaimangal is seen meeting union minister Pralhad Joshi in his presence. Sarma tweeted that an FIR lodged by the Congress MLA was akin to the Congress asking Ottavio Quattrocchi to file a case against Bofors.
"Fake FIR in #Jharkhand. The so-called FIR looks like @INCIndia asking Ottavio Quattrocchi to file a case against Bofors," Sarma tweeted.
Sarma retweeted Pijush Hazarika post in which the BJP MLA said: "5 days before filing the fabricated FIR, Hon'ble CM Dr.@himantabiswa sir took him to the Residence of the Hon'ble Union Coal Minister Shri @JoshiPralhad ji at 9 am of 26th July, 2022 in order to help him in his trade union related matter," added in another tweet.
Jaimangal wrote a letter of complaint against three Congress MLAs nabbed 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 CM 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 CM '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 Singh addressed the complaint letter to the Argora police station in Ranchi. Following this, a zero FIR was lodged by the Jharkhand police.
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.
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.
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.
( With inputs from ANI )
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