CM's vigilance cell initiates probe against Assam Congress MLA for purchasing tea garden

Guwahati, Sep 28 (IANS) The Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell has launched a probe against Assam Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha in connection with purchasing a tea garden six months ago.

Members of the Cell visited the MLA's home constituency of Karimganj North on Thursday and interrogated a few people.

According to sources, the land tax of the tea garden is also pending after it was purchased.

Purkayastha is a three-time MLA and is also the working president of the Congress party in the state.

Talking to IANS, he 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 with 100 per cent white money. We have the details of every penny invested,” the legislator said.

Purkayastha, who is an ardent critic of Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleged that he has been targeted for raising the land scam issue of Chief Minister’s wife at the 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,” he claimed.

However, the MLA has accepted that the land tax of the tea garden might have been pending.

“We purchased it nearly six months ago. If the government tax is unpaid, it can be cleared even with a late fee. There are provisions of this."