JHARKHAND CASH SEIZURE: CONGRESS SAYS SECRETARY IN EYE OF STORM WORKED UNDER BJP MINISTER TOO

Hours after the Enforcement Directorate seized crores of rupees in cash from a person who sources said worked as the house help of Sanjiv Lal, the personal secretary (PS) to Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, the Congress said Lal worked as the PS of a former BJP minister too.

Sources in the ED said that more than Rs 25 crore in cash and certain 'incriminating' documents had been seized from the possession of the house help of Sanjiv Lal, who has been a personal secretary to Alam since he took charge as Cabinet minister in Jharkhand.

Alam, who is from the Congress and is Jharkhand’s Rural Development minister, has denied that he has any links to the seized items, Jharkhand Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha told The Indian Express.

“Any minister has two personal secretaries – one is a private one and the other is a government officer. Sanjiv Lal is a government officer, and has in the past been a PS to former BJP minister C P Singh as well,” Sinha said.

“Alamgir ji has told me that he has no connection with it (the seized cash). It seems that the raids were timed to be conducted ahead of the arrival of Rahul Gandhi in Jharkhand,” he said.

Rahul is scheduled to be in Jharkhand Tuesday to kick off his election campaign in the state.

BJP MLA C P Singh, who had been a state minister from 2014 to 2019, confirmed to The Indian Express that Lal had been his personal secretary during his tenure as minister. “I had been very cautious and kept a watch, and had received no complaints regarding him during my tenure,” Singh said.

Earlier on Monday, Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi said in a post on X that the ED’s seizure of cash “proves the crimes of (former CM) Hemant Soren”.

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2024-05-06T12:37:22Z dg43tfdfdgfd