A three-member team of the Assam Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell have arrived in Karimganj district for a second time to inquire about the purchase of a tea garden by Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha six months ago.
The team visited the Promod Nagar tea estate on Wednesday evening, and according to police sources, the officers questioned its manager about the property’s yearly turnover.
The officers also questioned the labourers of the tea garden as well and inquired whether they were getting their remuneration regularly or not.
The team then went to the circle office in Karimganj town and asked the employees about a few land-related documents, the sources said.
The officers also met District Commissioner Mridul Yadav.
The first visit of the Vigilance Cell team was around 12 days ago, during which they questioned Purkayastha’s brother and also associates of the Congress MLA who were involved in purchasing the share of the tea garden.
A retired engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), identified as Pranjit Das and considered to be a close confidante of Purkayastha, was also called to the Vigilance Office in Guwahati where he was interrogated.
Talking to IANS on Thursday, Purkayastha denied any sort of irregularities in the purchase of the tea garden.
“The locals there requested that I purchase the tea garden earlier. But I did not have enough money to buy it. Later, I purchased the tea garden with some of my friends and associates for Rs. 3.20 crore. The land was bought on 100 percent white money. We have the details of every penny invested.”
Purkayastha, an ardent critic of Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleged that he has been targeted for raising the land scam issue of Chief Minister’s wife in the floors of state assembly.
“You cannot say anything on the Chief Minister and his family’s corruption issue in Assam, otherwise you will be targeted by the vigilance cell. This is nothing but an attempt to defame me in public.”
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