J’khand minister steps down from the post after arrest in tender scam

Alamgir Alam, a member and minister from the Congress party, has stepped down from his ministerial position in the Champai Soren government. 

This decision was announced on June 10, following his arrest in connection with an alleged tender scam.

Alam, who was overseeing several departments including rural development, parliamentary affairs, rural works, and panchayati raj, also resigned from his role as the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in the Jharkhand Assembly.

His resignation came three days after Chief Minister Soren stripped him of all his ministerial portfolios, leaving him as a Minister without portfolio.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Alam on May 15 in relation to an alleged money laundering case. 

Before his arrest, the ED had detained Alam's Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Sanjiv Kumar Lal, and Lal's domestic help following the discovery of more than ₹36 crore in a flat associated with them.

The ED's petition in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court revealed that Alam allegedly received a 1.5% commission from every tender in his department. 

The ED claimed that Virendra Ram, the then Chief Engineer of the Rural Development Department who was arrested on March 23, 2023, collected the commission from the tenders and passed it on to Alam.

The ED also alleged that the money recovered from the premises linked to Alam's OSD and domestic help belonged to Alam. 

The agency is currently investigating the extent of this alleged corruption network.

Following Alam's arrest, leaders from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called for his removal from the cabinet. 

Alam also resigned from the post of CLP and sent the letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.