A BJP leader from Murshidabad district was arrested last night on charge of corruption. BJP party sources said, the police arrested Soumen Mondal, the general secretary of Murshidabad district BJP, in connection with alleged corruption related to welfare scheme of providing free LPG connections to BPL women under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

A team of sleuths from Jorasanko police station in Kolkata raided the residence of Soumen Mondal at Lalbagh town in Murshidabad district last night and arrested him from there, sources said.

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Mondal contested the last civic polls on BJP ticket but he lost the election from ward no. 12 of Murshidabad municipality.

Allegations cropped up last year that a number of BJP leaders had taken hefty sum of money from potential dealers who were asking for distributorship of the LPG cylinders in their respective areas. Thereafter, the state government directed the police to launch an inquiry into the alleged PMUY bribery scam. Following the investigation, Ranjit Majumdar, also a BJP leader, was arrested earlier and several others, suspected to be involved in the racket, were interrogated, sources informed.

The Murshidabad district BJP president, Mr Gaurishankar Ghosh hailing from Prasadpur Gram Panchayat area adjoining the Lalbagh town in Murshidabad district, was on the sleuth’s scanner, sources said.

“Ujjwala scheme is a major welfare programme of the Modi government. We want transparency. We want zero tolerance against any corruption in this regard”, said the district BJP leadership here.