Who are the Jharkhand Congress MLAs caught in Bengal cash haul

Three Congress MLAs were held with huge amounts of cash in Bengal's Howrah on July 30. Here's all about MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixal Kolebira, caught in the cash haul.

Three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand were suspended from the party after West Bengal Police intercepted the car they were travelling in and recovered cash worth around Rs 49 lakh. The kin of one of the MLAs has claimed that cash was meant to buy ‘gifts for tribals’ from Kolkata.

The MLAs—Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari—were travelling in an SUV on National Highway-16 at Ranihati when the Howrah Police intercepted their vehicle.

Here's a closer look at all three MLAs caught in the Bengal cash haul.

The 47-year-old Irfan Ansari is a representative of Jamtara Assembly constituency. Ansari won the seat for the first time in 2014 and held onto the seat in the 2019 state elections. According to the election affidavit, Ansari's wealth grew by a whopping 119 per cent.

Ansari was born into a political family. His father, Furkan Ansari, represented the Jamtara constituency five times from 1980-2004. The 74-year-old Congressman was elected to Lok Sabha from Godda constituency during the 2004 general elections.

Irfan Ansari had grabbed the headlines for a sexist remark earlier this year. On January 15, Ansari sparked controversy after claiming that newly built roads in Jamtara would be smoother than actor Kangana Ranaut’s cheeks.

READ | Jharkhand Congress MLA promises to build roads 'smoother than Kangana Ranaut’s cheeks’ | WATCH