Joydeb Khan, an alleged coal mafia, against whom there have been several cases, raked up a fresh controversy after receiving Union home minister Amit Shah at Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in Andal, yesterday.
His picture, receiving the Union home minister, went viral today and created a huge stir in the political circles in the state.
This is the second time that Joydeb Khan has been part of the controversy after he personally met union coal minister Pralhad Joshi at a five star hotel during his stay at Durgapur in November 2022.
During his road show in Raniganj in favour of BJP candidate Surendrajit Singh Ahluwalia yesterday evening, Amit Shah has alleged that TMC is linked with the coal mafia.
The FIR in the illegal coal mining case in December 2020 in Bengal a few months before the Assembly polls had rocked the state at that time. The CBI, I-T and ED jointly investigated the illegal coal mining cases in the ECL leasehold area.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said that Joydeb Khan is a BJP member and never was a coal mafia, ever since joining the BJP in 2019 he has been framed in false cases. Instead Joydeb Khan has bagged tenders of railway siding, in which 400 people will get jobs, he added.
Around 16 people went to greet Amit Shah at the airport and the list was prepared by district president of BJP Bappa Chatterjee.
Narendra Nath Chakraborty, Pandaveswar MLA and district president of TMC in West Burdwan said that it seems that the coal mafia are very close to the ruling BJP ministers that’s why a notorious person is seen with them.
“It is the BJP which encourages the illegal coal mining in Raniganj coalfield area. Our chief minister Mamata Banerjee has taken a strong stance against the coal mafia after she came in to power in 2011 and has arrested a number of coal mafia,” he added.