Agartala: A day after Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha said that the Crime Branch has been assigned with the task to investigate the corruption into land acquisition case of Notingcherra tea garden, Tripura BJP MLA from Pabiacherra assembly constituency and former animal resource department minister Bhagaban Chandra Das on Tuesday said that he was being framed in the corruption case.
Claiming that a section of people had been actively spreading propaganda to defame him, Das said, “A question was raised intentionally by Congress MLA Birajit Sinha in the state assembly related to my letter to a bank manager seeking release of funds freezed in a bank account. A section of people who had been trying to tarnish my image are fully responsible for the misleading facts presented in the state assembly.”
Das also denied any probe against him and said the Chief Minister was referring to an investigation that was ordered in connection with allegations of misappropriation of funds at another tea garden.
Briefing the media persons at MLA Hostel Agartala, Das said, “It is a conspiracy to tarnish my image.”
According to Das, he wrote the letter to the bank manager to ensure that the tea garden workers get their wages in time. “The incident dates back to May 2021 when Covid-19 induced lockdown was in force. A ten-member delegation of the tea garden workers met me and sought my intervention to regularise their wages that was pending for two weeks. I was told that one person, identified as Ranjan Sinha, is responsible for freezing the bank account in which the funds for land acquisition had been deposited. Later, I spoke to the ADM and the matter was fixed. The money was released subsequently,” said Das.
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Das also showed the bank account statement. “The NHIDCL released Rs 58 lakh on May 04, 2021. The money was gradually withdrawn thereafter. The bank statement had all the details. Now, I don’t know why my name is being linked with the case. The contents of my letter categorically said that this letter is for the interest of the tea garden workers. They must get their dues in the distressing times,” said Das.
Speaking about the statement of the Chief Minister, the MLA said, “The Chief Minister was speaking about the investigation related to another tea garden of the same district. He was not speaking about the case related to the Notingcherra tea garden.”
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