PATNA: The ruling UPA government in Jharkhand on Monday alleged that senior BJP leaders and liquor barons from Maharashtra had conspired to topple the Hemant Soren led ministry and the conspiracy was busted with the arrest of three people from a Ranchi hotel last week.
Jharkhand's finance minister and president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee, Rameshwar Oraon said on Monday, plot to topple the government had started in January itself when BJP tried to engineer defections from the Congress.
In the latest "plot" names of two Congress MLAs and an independent legislator became public as they had travelled to New Delhi on July 15 in the same flight along with the three people arrested.
According to the investigations carried by the police and questioning by the Ranchi police, names of Chandrashekhar Rao Babanphule, a former minister in Maharashtra, Charan Singh, a leading businessman in Mumbai, Jaikumar Balkhunde of Mumbai have surfaced as those involved in the alleged conspiracy.
According to the police, the three persons arrested from a Ranchi hotel had travelled to New Delhi on July 15 and they were received at Delhi airport by one Jaikumar Balkhunde. Two vehicles were arranged for the three MLAs, who were accommodated in a hotel at Dwarka area of New Delhi.
Next morning, the three legislators according to the police were taken to the Maharashtra leaders who were also in New Delhi. An advance money of Rs one crore was reportedly demanded but it was declined.
The three MLAs returned to Ranchi next day along with the three arrested by police. Mohit Bharatiya, Anil Kumar and Ashutosh Kumar also returned with them for "business deal" with the government. They are reportedly liquor traders.
Supriyo Bhattacharya, general secretary of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha today alleged direct involvement of two senior BJP leaders from Maharashtra in the conspiracy to topple the JMM led ministry. He alleged Congress and independent MLAs were the target.
Umashankar Akela, one of the Congress MLAs who had gone to New Delhi on July 15, today claimed he had gone to meet his grand daughter in Noida. Amit Kumar Yadav, an independent MLA in a statement today said he had gone to see one of his relatives admitted in a hospital. There was no deal with any one, they claimed.
Irfan Ansari, working president of the Jharkhand Congress Committee said the government led by Hemant Soren was intact and stable. Manoj Pandey, JPCC spokesman too issued a statement blaming the BJP for its abortive bid to topple the government.
Ranchi police had arrested Abhisekh Kumar Dubey, Amit Singh and Nivaran Prasad Mahto from a Ranchi hotel last week with cash. They were later remanded to 14 days judicial custody.
Babu Lal Marandi, former chief minister and BJP leader meanwhile demanded a probe by SIT in the entire conspiracy and alleged the case was fabricated one. He suggested the DG of police to come to the media with the facts.
