The Jharkhand government has ordered the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to probe the alleged disproportionate assets of five Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who served as ministers in former chief minister Raghubar Das’s Cabinet.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, the government said the probe has been ordered in light of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Pankaj Yadav in 2020 in the Jharkhand high court regarding the assets.
Pankaj Yadav said the petition against Amar Bauri, Neelkanth Singh Munda, Neera Yadav, Randhir Singh, and Louis Marandi, who were part of Das’s Cabinet from 2014 to 2019, is yet to be listed for hearing in the court.
Munda said he has declared everything in his election affidavits. “There is nothing to hide. Let them probe.”
Jharkhand BJP president Pratul Shahdeo said the five are open to probe, but the timing is suspect. “Our leaders have nothing to hide. But the timing is a suspect…two years after the PIL was filed at a time when chief minister [Hemant Soren] is in trouble. He has done it to deflect attention from his own wrongdoings,” said Shahdeo.
The Election Commission of India last month sent Soren a notice asking him to explain why he should not be disqualified over the mining lease granted to him. It cited the perusal of documents and said it found sufficient grounds for initiating disqualification proceedings as per the Representation of the People Act.
Ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Manoj Pandey said the PIL against BJP leaders has been filed on basis of their affidavits. “If they have nothing to hide why is the BJP so concerned about timings.”
Pankaj Yadav, the petitioner, said he has provided details of the growth in the declared assets of the five BJP leaders. “We have compared their election affidavits for 2014 and 2019 [polls]. There has been a sharp increase [in their assets] ranging from 200 to around 1200% in five years. If the ACB asks us, we will provide more proof to back our claims.”
The petitioner has also made ACB, the income tax department, and the chief secretary parties to the PIL.
The high court also ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged embezzlement of funds for the 34th National Games held in Ranchi in 2011 last month based on another PIL. It transferred the inquiry from the ACB to the federal agency.
