Alleged audio clip of Cong MLA sparks slugfest in state
An alleged audio clip of Congress’s Mahagama MLA Dipika Pandey Singh directing a mukhiya (village chief) to supply ₹25 lakh to a person has sparked a political slugfest in Jharkhand, with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling it “sponsored corruption”.
In the audio clip, Pandey was allegedly heard scolding the mukhiya regarding a work with a deputy commissioner, saying he had landed in trouble.
The clip ended with the legislator directing the mukhiya to give ₹25 lakh to a person named Bulbul.
The BJP on Friday submitted the clip to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and demanded action after “a proper probe”.
Party state president Babulal Marandi and Godda MP Nishkant Dubey made the alleged clip viral on social media, presenting it as “an example of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress-sponsored corruption”.
The Godda MP, in his X post, tagged the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax department, and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), demanding a probe into the matter.
“Jharkhand BJP, today handed over the audio of @INCIndia MLA Deepika ji to the Election Commission. Jharkhand is a breeding ground for corruption and money-raising for political parties like Congress, JMM, and RJD. If a Mukhiya is giving 25 lakhs to an MLA, then guess that Mukhiyas are giving at least ₹50 crores to the MLA as there are 172 Panchayats in
Godda. CBI and @dir_ed and @IncomeTaxIndia should investigate this,” Dubey’s message read.
“The way the audio of Congress MLA Deepika Pandey Singh demanding ₹25 lakh from the head of a Panchayat to settle a case is being said to have gone viral, it is just an example of the rampant corruption taking place in Jharkhand. In the last 4.5 years, Jharkhand has been made a breeding ground for loot by the leaders of Congress and JMM. They shamelessly run the business of illegal extortion, commission, and smuggling, and when caught, they cry about being tortured by the Central Government. @ECISVEEP take cognizance of the matter and take action by getting the authenticity of the audio investigated by CBI,” a post on X by Marandi read.
When contacted for her comment on the alleged clip, Pandey pleaded innocence.
“BJP has submitted an audio clip to the Election Commission. Let it be verified by the commission. I talk to many, and thus it is difficult to say who recorded my statement and in what context,” she told Hindustan Times.
“This is election time, and before the finalisation of seats for parliamentary election, such exercises are going on. I assure you that I am nowhere involved in the transaction of money,” she added.
Congress Executive President Bandhu Tirkey, in his reaction to the issue, said: “It is a BJP conspiracy to malign the image of Congress legislators before the parliamentary elections. The matter is under investigation. Let it be investigated, and let the truth prevail.”