An alleged audio recording of two Congress MLAs discussing a commission has sparked uproar in the Jharkhand assembly. Opposition leader Babulal Marandi presented the clip, demanding a forensic check to determine if it is genuine or AI-generated. The incident led to protests and a brief adjournment of proceedings.
During the ongoing winter session of the Jharkhand assembly on Thursday, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leveled serious corruption charges against the ruling alliance. Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi claimed to possess an audio recording of a conversation between two Congress MLAs, involving a discussion on a Rs 5 lakh commission for facilitating work related to a nursing college's No Objection Certificate (NoC).
Marandi handed a pen drive containing the purported recording to the Speaker. In the clip, he alleged, MLA Mamta Devi accuses state Health Minister Irfan Ansari of taking the commission but failing to process the necessary approvals. Both are Congress members. "This is an extremely serious and dangerous situation," Marandi stated in the assembly. He urged a forensic examination of the audio and, if needed, an inquiry by an appropriate agency to verify its authenticity. "If it is AI, then there is no issue. But if it is not, then it must be examined what the party members are talking about," he added.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radha Krishna Kishore, from the ruling alliance, dismissed the matter as an "internal issue" of the Congress, noting that the party's leadership was already investigating. He argued that raising it in the House was inappropriate. Despite this, BJP members protested vehemently, shouting slogans and pressing for immediate action, which resulted in a short adjournment.
Outside the assembly, Mamta Devi rejected the allegations outright. "The audio is not mine... This is a conspiracy of the Opposition," she told reporters, emphasizing her role in addressing public health concerns with the minister. Efforts to contact Health Minister Irfan Ansari yielded no response.
The episode highlights growing tensions between the BJP and the ruling coalition amid the winter session, raising questions about the reliability of digital evidence in political disputes.
