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Jharkhand: 3 suspended Cong legislators stare at disqualification from assembly
The three suspended Jharkhand Congress legislators were arrested in Kolkata on July 30 with cash that was allegedly paid for toppling the Hemant Soren government
Three suspended Congress legislators, who were arrested in Kolkata on July 30 with cash that was allegedly paid for toppling the Hemant Soren government, are now facing disqualification from the Jharkhand assembly.
Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto has issued a notice to the three legislators-- Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixel Kongari--seeking their clarification by September 1 on the complaint against them.
Confirming the development, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur said, “The speaker has sent the notice on recommendation of Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam. Now the matter is in the purview of the Speaker. He will take further action accordingly.”
The development comes at a time when the state is in the midst of a major political turmoil, owing to the impending threat over the membership of chief minister Hemant Soren in the Jharkhand assembly for allegedly holding an office-of-profit.
The three suspended legislators are currently in Kolkata, as per the condition laid by the Calcutta high court while granting them interim bail, even as the West Bengal CID is investigating the case.
The three legislators were caught travelling in a car on the outskirts of Howrah with ₹49 lakh cash in their vehicle. A day later, Congress legsilator Anup Singh got a zero FIR registered in Ranchi alleging the trio were part of a conspiracy to topple the Hemant government in association with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and offered him ₹10 crore for switching sides. The Kolkata police booked the three legislators under relevant sections based on the FIR filed by Anup Singh.
People familiar with the matter said Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam has now recommended action against the three legislators under anti-defection law. The recommendation is based on a complaint received by three Congress legislators Anup Singh, Shilpi Neha Tirkey and Bhushan Bara, who have alleged that the three suspended legislators had approached them with offers to switch sides, a Congress leader said.
With 18 legislators including Pradeep Yadav, who joined the Congress after winning 2019 assembly polls on a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) ticket following a split and merger of the latter with the BJP, the Congress is the second major constituent of the ruling coalition comprising three parties.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is the third constituent with its sole member in the assembly being a part of the Hemant Soren cabinet. Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is the lead partner in the coalition with 30 legislators in the 81-member assembly. The Opposition BJP has 26 members in the state assembly.
