Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha | File image
Guwahati, Oct 12: A three-member team of the Assam Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell has arrived in Karimganj district for the 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 in the tea garden 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 a 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.
Speaking to IANS on Thursday, Purkayastha denied any sort of irregularity 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 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 the Chief Minister’s wife in the floors of the state assembly.
“You cannot say anything about 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.”