‘Even top Congress persons keep in touch...’: Assam CM makes BIG claim after Congress leader’s horse-trading allegations

New Delhi: Dismissing the horse-trading allegations amid the ongoing political drama in Jharkhand, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday (July 31, 2022) said that he is still in touch with his former party cadres due to his 22-year-long association with Congress. “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,” Biswa told reporters. 

Assam CM’s statement came after Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal alleged that Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has a major role in the horse-trading of MLAs to topple the JMM-Cong coalition government.

Notably, Sarma switched over to the BJP from Congress in 2015.

Congress leader Jaimangal filed a written complaint in Ranchi against three Congress MLAs nabbed in West Bengal’s Howrah with a huge amount of cash. In his complaint, the Congress leader, 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.’

On a complaint of Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal Singh, the police have registered Zero FIR against the three MLAs (Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachhap & Naman Bixal Kongari). The FIR will be transferred to Howrah where the three got arrested after cash recovery from their possession.

Meanwhile, 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.

(With agency inputs)