Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday, 2 August, called the First Information Report (FIR) filed by Jharkhand's Congress MLA, Kumar Jaimangal, over allegations of the former trying to topple the Jharkhand government as "fake." The state Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, has termed the allegations as "baseless."
A zero FIR was lodged in Jharkhand's Ranchi on 31 July, after Jaimangal alleged that the Assam CM and the three arrested MLAs were trying to "topple the JMM-Congress government" in Jharkhand. He has alleged that the three Congress MLAs offered him money to topple the state government.
In the complaint copy, accessed by The Quint, the MLA has alleged that he was "offered Rs 10 crore and was told to meet Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati."
FIR Filed in Jharkhand Is 'Fake': Assam CM Sarma
Calling the FIR filed by Jaimangal as "fake," Sarma tweeted, "The so-called FIR looks like @INCIndia asking Ottavio Quattrocchi to file a case against Bofors."
Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman, had played a key role in the politically sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case. Quattrocchi, who had fled from India on 29-30 July 1993, never appeared before any court in India to face prosecution. He passed away on 13 July 2013.
Sarma also retweeted a tweet by Assam government spokesperson Pijush Hazarika that listed few points to prove that the allegations made by Jaimangal were "baseless."
"Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal made a fake allegation that the 3 arrested MLA’s had lured him to meet Hon’ble CM Dr Himanta Biswa sir. Five days before filing the fabricated FIR, the chief minister took him to the Residence of Union Coal Minister Prahlad Joshiji at 9 am of 26th July, 2022 in order to help him in his trade union related matter," read the tweet by Pijush Hazarika.
"Kumar Jaimangal has been regularly meeting CM Himanta. He should face the law for making a fraudulent allegation against Honorable Chief Minister of Assam and against those tribal MLAs," Hazarika added.
Speaking to ANI, Jaimangal however claimed that the tweet by Pijush was deleted. "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. CM of Jharkhand knew about the visit," Jaimangal said.
'CM Himanta Must Apologise': Assam Congress
Taking to Twitter, Assam Congress had on Monday, 1 August, said that CM Himanta must apologise for his action. "FIR against CM Himanta Biswa was filed by Jharkhand MLA for bribing MLAs for toppling their Government. It’s shameful that while Assam is at the lowest positions in terms of education, healthcare, poverty; CM is busy in destroying democracy. He must apologize to every Assamese," the Assam Congress said from its official Twitter account.
Reacting to the arrest of three Congress MLAs, the All India Trinamool Congress had on Sunday, 31 July, tweeted, "We have seen a trajectory by BJP of toppling democratically elected governments by unholy means. Do we sense a reiteration of the same incident yet again in Jharkhand?"
Background
The West Bengal police had on Sunday, 31 July, arrested three Congress MLAs after they found the trio with huge amounts of cash in the car.
The three MLAs are Irfan Ansari, MLA from Jamtara, Rajesh Kachhap, MLA from Khijri, and Naman Bixal, MLA from Kolebira. They were suspended from the Congress party on the same day.
Hours after their arrest, a zero FIR was filed against the three suspended MLAs in Ranchi, Jharkhand, after Jaimangal alleged that he was offered money by the trio to topple the government.
Jaimangal submitted a complaint in Jharkhand's Ranchi.
"In the complaint, Jaimangal claims that he didn't want to participate in this "unconstitutional, illegal and downright criminal" activity, and hence, he had filed the complaint.
He requested that action be taken against those trying to topple the Jharkhand government and that this criminal activity be stopped.
Meanwhile, the Assam CM told the press, "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 an FIR was filed on this."
In the letter, Jaimangal also alleges that he had met CM Biswa Sarma once, and was also assured a "ministerial berth." He says that Irfan Ansari, who is one of the three suspended MLAs, had already been promised the health ministry in the new government.
He also claims that Ansari assured him that Biswa Sarma "is doing it with the blessings of top shots of BJP" from Delhi.
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