Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam, currently jailed in connection with a money laundering case, has resigned from his positions as a cabinet minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. The resignation was confirmed by his son, Tanveer Alam.
Tanveer Alam stated that his father submitted his resignation on June 8, and the letter was sent to Chief Minister Champai Soren’s office the same day. The resignation letter was officially received by the Chief Minister’s office on Monday. Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur also verified Alamgir Alam’s resignation from his roles in the government and party.
Alamgir Alam was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 15 after being questioned in connection with the money laundering case. This followed a raid on May 6, where over Rs 37 crore in cash was found in the apartment of Jahangir Alam, the house help of Alamgir Alam’s personal secretary, Sanjeev Lal. Both Alam and Lal were subsequently arrested.
The raids were part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering involving Virendra K Ram, the former chief engineer of the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, who was arrested last year for alleged irregularities in the implementation of departmental schemes. Following Alamgir Alam’s arrest, Chief Minister Champai Soren took over his four portfolios: parliamentary affairs, rural development, rural works, and panchayati raj.
Alamgir Alam, a 70-year-old leader, represents the Pakur assembly seat.
BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo criticized Alamgir Alam for delaying his resignation despite the ED’s discovery of the cash at his house help’s residence. Shah Deo accused Alam of “crossing every limit of shamelessness” and cited a tender scam worth Rs 3,000 crore in Alam’s department.
“He was arrested but did not resign. Later, when the BJP raised the issue of the facilities that he was receiving and how taxpayers’ money was getting wasted, he resigned under pressure. He has been exposed,” Shah Deo told PTI.
The resignation marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation and political landscape of Jharkhand.
